We now (slowly) enter the year of the No. 2 twirler.
That is, in the case of softball's inevitable pitching predicament. Pack an extra bag of sunflower seeds, there's a magical phrase for spectators that just may become excruciating for this spring's student-athletes:
Let's play two.
On the baseball side of the conversation, get ready to see MLB-sized, temporary five-man rotations employed in rare instances that find clubs playing one on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and two over the weekend. If Mother Nature doesn't release her chilly grip of the still-treacherous skies that hang over southwestern Wisconsin, doubleheaders may become more commonplace this spring than Cheesemaker basketball titles.
Speaking of which, the only ballclub that's enjoyed any semblance of spring training is the Lady Cheesemakers. Mere hours after securing a second WIAA Division 2 girls state basketball title in three years - sandwiching the boys' title in 2006-2007 - four members who contributed heavily to bringing home this year's hardware did, in fact, go to Disneyland.
Between Space Mountain and the amenities at the Disney Sports Complex, Dale Buvid's club also got some vital training in. No surprise, Buvid used his three prized pitchers, Renee Schuttler, Carli Olsen and Meghan Roberts, equally throughout the three games in Florida.
Steve Christensen's baseball club isn't going to be nearly as fortunate entering its spring campaign. His staff actually may benefit from having some extra time indoors to train and build strength in their core, an inexperienced staff that was aced by since-graduated flamethrower Brock Bidlingmaier last season.
That's if the Cheesemakers carry over the momentum from the Kohl Center basketball appearance and bust their butts during the season's "hiatus". If they don't, the first time two "DH's" appear in the same week, the No. 4 and No. 5 starters will experience dog days long before even sniffing summer.
What makes this season so daunting is that the heavy lifting is hardly reserved to the athletic forum. While these young upstarts get after it and play through pain, they also need to carry the high academic standards that make their programs true stalwarts.
Many Cheesemakers are trying to keep pace with the standard set by last year's starting shortstop Sydnee Wyss. When not setting the table at the top of the Lady Cheese's order, she was taking care of business with the books. She and Pecatonica's golden boy Joe Burkeland hauled it two of just 32 WIAA Scholar-Athlete awards last year after outstanding campaigns.
They did it because everything worked together. Their success in exams, exuberant spirits and exceptional play in sports all fed off one another.
We can't all be that good, though, but it doesn't hurt to emulate those who set the standard.
Juda first baseman and fan favorite Greg Lynch likely won't take the ball on the mound for first-year skipper Brent Bockup, but he, like football teammate Tyler Lincoln, is around the head of his class.
If the slugging lefty Lynch spins on a few fastballs this season, the big man could have a great batting campaign. It would be highly improbable for his team to do what Burkeland's Vikings did in a deep playoff run in baseball last season, but consider Lynch a dark horse for Burkeland's more versatile reward.
Watch this baseball season as Lynch's mound visits will pay large dividends for his pitching staff that will have to grind out a lot of tough innings.
That's the charm of sports, though, particularly preps. If that Panther infield circles the wagons and has its pitching staff's back, great things can happen every day.
Sometimes twice if we are, in fact, playing two.
That is, in the case of softball's inevitable pitching predicament. Pack an extra bag of sunflower seeds, there's a magical phrase for spectators that just may become excruciating for this spring's student-athletes:
Let's play two.
On the baseball side of the conversation, get ready to see MLB-sized, temporary five-man rotations employed in rare instances that find clubs playing one on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and two over the weekend. If Mother Nature doesn't release her chilly grip of the still-treacherous skies that hang over southwestern Wisconsin, doubleheaders may become more commonplace this spring than Cheesemaker basketball titles.
Speaking of which, the only ballclub that's enjoyed any semblance of spring training is the Lady Cheesemakers. Mere hours after securing a second WIAA Division 2 girls state basketball title in three years - sandwiching the boys' title in 2006-2007 - four members who contributed heavily to bringing home this year's hardware did, in fact, go to Disneyland.
Between Space Mountain and the amenities at the Disney Sports Complex, Dale Buvid's club also got some vital training in. No surprise, Buvid used his three prized pitchers, Renee Schuttler, Carli Olsen and Meghan Roberts, equally throughout the three games in Florida.
Steve Christensen's baseball club isn't going to be nearly as fortunate entering its spring campaign. His staff actually may benefit from having some extra time indoors to train and build strength in their core, an inexperienced staff that was aced by since-graduated flamethrower Brock Bidlingmaier last season.
That's if the Cheesemakers carry over the momentum from the Kohl Center basketball appearance and bust their butts during the season's "hiatus". If they don't, the first time two "DH's" appear in the same week, the No. 4 and No. 5 starters will experience dog days long before even sniffing summer.
What makes this season so daunting is that the heavy lifting is hardly reserved to the athletic forum. While these young upstarts get after it and play through pain, they also need to carry the high academic standards that make their programs true stalwarts.
Many Cheesemakers are trying to keep pace with the standard set by last year's starting shortstop Sydnee Wyss. When not setting the table at the top of the Lady Cheese's order, she was taking care of business with the books. She and Pecatonica's golden boy Joe Burkeland hauled it two of just 32 WIAA Scholar-Athlete awards last year after outstanding campaigns.
They did it because everything worked together. Their success in exams, exuberant spirits and exceptional play in sports all fed off one another.
We can't all be that good, though, but it doesn't hurt to emulate those who set the standard.
Juda first baseman and fan favorite Greg Lynch likely won't take the ball on the mound for first-year skipper Brent Bockup, but he, like football teammate Tyler Lincoln, is around the head of his class.
If the slugging lefty Lynch spins on a few fastballs this season, the big man could have a great batting campaign. It would be highly improbable for his team to do what Burkeland's Vikings did in a deep playoff run in baseball last season, but consider Lynch a dark horse for Burkeland's more versatile reward.
Watch this baseball season as Lynch's mound visits will pay large dividends for his pitching staff that will have to grind out a lot of tough innings.
That's the charm of sports, though, particularly preps. If that Panther infield circles the wagons and has its pitching staff's back, great things can happen every day.
Sometimes twice if we are, in fact, playing two.
