The facade of the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex, located in Peoria.
By Kerra Fisher and Nick Kelly
The Bradley University softball season kicks off in early February which leads the team to face challenges against the weather.
Central Illinois weather can be temperamental during the early season, ranging from cold temperatures and snow to rain. The team has to adjust practice location according to the weather using the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex for indoor practices when the weather is not permitting.
The complex also hosts a tournament each spring that brings some prominent programs to Peoria. This year’s rendition included Washington, currently the top-ranked team in the AP Poll.
While many of the premier teams host home series in February, Bradley will not play a true outdoor home game until March in most seasons. Most of those games are still played in less than favorable conditions.
With that, practicing on a different surface than you traditionally play on can create challenges for players.
Sophomore outfielder Sydney Young perfecting her slap-hitting on a tee inside the indoor facility.
“As an infielder, the biggest adjustment we must make is reading the balls,” sophomore Allison Apke said. “The ball will bounce differently on the dirt as opposed to the turf.”
Bradley currently sits at 5-7, with three of those wins coming in that tournament. All but those five tournament games have been played on grass and dirt.
“All of us have been playing on dirt our entire lives,” senior Maria Schroeder said. “When you practice on turf every day, it’s an adjustment to play on dirt.”
Senior catcher Maria Schroeder and the Bradley Softball team stretch before practice at the complex.
As an athlete, you never want to admit or succumb to disadvantages. However, being in a cold climate proves to be one, as 18 of the current top 25 teams in the country are located in warm-weather climates.
To escape the conditions and still get games in early in the season, the team travels to some of these warmer climates, including Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky.
“When you are an outside sport who is stuck inside for a good two months at practice, your motivation is a 45 degree day here and there so we can get outside and play,” head coach Amy Hayes said.
Sophomore outfielder Sydney Young prepares for a pitch from a machine.
Of course, when you have been inside all winter, playing outside can create new challenges of its own.
“Sometimes the sun can get a little tricky, along with the wind, but those two factors are easier to adjust to,” Apke said.
“Indoors, you don’t have to worry about wind, sun and other factors,” Schroeder said. “These are things you have to take into account and think about when you move to playing outdoors.”
Junior pitcher Julie Kestas throws a pitch during practice at the indoor complex.
Bradley is fortunate, though, to have their outdoor home surface mimic that of their indoor practice surface.
Even that can create inconsistencies for the team when it comes to moving outside.
“Depending on how much [the turf] is groomed, it can play a little differently every day,” Hayes said.
The team will continue to adjust to weather conditions until they hit the road March 8 for the Louisville Classic in Kentucky.