The spring season in the Midwest comes with unsettled weather, especially around the neighboring communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
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Whenever schedules are released for spring sports, you can never assume that all will be played out on the exact day from March through May. Because the likes of baseball, softball, soccer track, and field, tennis are all played outdoors, there will always be at least a handful of cancellations due to the rain. However, in 2018, the number of postponements has been higher than usual.
Since Friday, March 22 it has virtually rained every day since and that means sporting events have been at a premium.
The Jersey Panthers baseball team hasn’t played a game since March 21, nearly two weeks and coach Darren Perdun hasn’t been happy about the situation, which could probably be said for any other coach about their team.
“It’s been frustrating. It was our tenth day in a row practicing inside,” Perdun said. Mother Nature is gonna win every time. You’re not gonna win that battle.”
This past Saturday the weather teased both the Panthers and Rock Hill Rockets. With one out in the bottom of the second inning the rain picked up and by the time the inning ended, the game was delayed. Several minutes later the game was canceled as well as the following one to conclude the doubleheader.
“We finally got a game in or at least we thought we were. It got just enough rain to rain us out. It’s like getting kicked in the gut,” Perdun said. “You go two miles north of here, and it’s not raining. We got a couple [of] innings in and got some things to work on, but I sure would like to get some games in.”
The Panthers record is 3-1 and is scheduled to host the Litchfield Purple Panthers at Illini Middle School at 4:30 PM this Thursday. That is if the rain will stay away.
“Hopefully the weather will break sometime soon, and we’ll be able to get after it. I got a feeling when we do we’re gonna be playing a whole bunch of games in a row,” Perdun said. “Everybody will be, but I’d rather do that than not play.”
