While some sports such as basketball or volleyball have the luxury of playing indoors, other sports don’t have this flexibility. Over the past few weeks, campuses throughout the MIAC have been seeing some pretty lousy weather, and these elemental shifts have been problematic for Hamline’s softball team since their recent return from California.

“I am so upset about our weather right now; I am so unbelievably mad. Coming back from California, that was probably the hardest part. We came back and it’s muddy and it’s gross and now there’s snow, and we can’t play outside. It’s just very upsetting,” said sophomore Allison Eastham.

The Softball team’s trip to California may have been a short one, but it was a much needed break from the unpredictable Minnesota weather. Minnesota’s climate has limited the softball team to indoor practices for the last several months and a trip to a much more sunny state was just what the team needed to prepare for the MIAC conference according to senior outfielder Amanda Orrell.

“California was a great opportunity for us to get outside, to play really strong teams and have the opportunity to see different pitching before we get into MIAC play. I think it was really beneficial for us and helped allow us to mentally prepare for the teams we will face this season and get outdoors a little earlier than our Minnesota weather allows,” said Orrell.

This same view is mirrored by other teammates who also agree that the escape from the weather will be beneficial for the team’s future success this season.

“It’s snowing outside right now, so I think that it was a really great opportunity to actually play softball, as opposed to just dome ball, and just get out in the warm weather and play some challenging teams, since they play year round out there,” said Eastham.

It seems the warm weather of California was peeled from the team’s grasp just as quickly as it came, as they recently returned home. So far softball has only played two conference games, and the current weather is making it very difficult for any more games to be played. This past week the temperature did not go above 35 degrees and with gusting winds and very temperamental snow and rain, their most recent game against Macalester was postponed twice. But, even in these harsh elements, the team is doing its best to keep a strong, positive attitude.

“It really stinks to be pushed back and continuously not know whether we are going to be able to play or not on certain days, but it just means more practice before going up against some of these teams. I think it gives us more time to prepare and hopefully come fresh and ready to play,” Orrell said.

The continuous ambiguity of whether or not games will be cancelled is beginning to weigh on the team. Head Coach Jim Rubbelke is determined to keep his team headed on the right track this season despite the weather conditions.

“You try to get used to it over time. You just have to play it day by day and hope that the weather changes a little bit to our favor. At the same time, I always like to tell my girls that at this time of the year I’d rather play than practice, and as long as you are playing well and you are on a roll, then let’s just keep playing and don’t let the weather stop us,” said Rubbelke.

Although they haven’t played many games yet, the Pipers have a perfect winning record in the MIAC so far after two wins against Carleton on April 3. As long as the weather clears up, the team is expected to face St. Thomas, Bethel and St. Kate’s at the end of next week. For details about game times and locations visit the Hamline Softball webpage at http://hamlineathletics.com/index.aspx?path=softball&.