Weather Holding Cardinals Back Baseball Team Swings A Mean Shovel

Some budget-strapped schools offer pay-to-play sports. North Idaho College baseball prefers shovel-to-play.

“We’ve had ice augers, axes, picks and heavy-duty shovels on the field,” coach Jack Bloxom was saying - BEFORE Saturday’s snow storm. “The mayor ought to get a hold of us because we know how to remove snow.”

The Cardinals (0-3) were scheduled to play their home opener today against Columbia Basin, but Bloxom was attempting to have the game moved to playable fields in Spokane. NIC’s diamond has 4 inches of ice on the third-base coaching box, left over from last November’s ice storm.

NIC has been practicing inside Christianson Gym with the exception of a couple of days when weather breaks allowed small-scale workouts outside.

If the sun ever shines on the Cards, Bloxom thinks he’ll like the reflection.

“We’re much better in the infield, we’re better in the outfield, we’re better on the mound and overall we hit it better,” said Bloxom, non-committal when asked if this would be his last year as coach. “The potential is there.”

It was there last year, too, but it went unfulfilled in a 14-22 season. NIC’s slow start, no matter how weather-related, does concern Bloxom.

Four pitchers return - starters Jeff Anstine, Shelby Hawkins and Marc Pizzoferrato, and reliever Ryon Packard. Two freshmen, David Caron and Sean Boesch, show promise.

Paul Wilson, who led the Cards in hitting last year at .378, returns to split time with Robert Novak at first. Lakeland grad Al Bevacqua is at second base, Andy Larson plays a steady shortstop and Canadian import Jason Bay is at third. Bay is an “excellent hitter,” said Bloxom, not prone to bluster.

Nate Lynch is in left field, Matt Nelson is in center and Lakeland’s Joel Gorham will be in right, if his glove is up to defensive responsibilities. Lewiston’s Chris Pendell and Coeur d’Alene’s Mike Dorame are neck-and-neck at catcher.

“We go through the lineup, almost without exception, with .350 hitters from top to bottom,” Bloxom said.

In honor of former pitcher Mark Nelson, who died of cancer in January, the Cards are wearing Nelson-designed warmup shirts. A Cardinal is pictured rising from a shattered eggshell with the words, “Breaking Out.”

Bloxom hopes the Cards can do as much, when the weather clears.

“What we need is experience,” Bloxom said. “The kids are a little disheartened because they’ve worked so long inside for about two months and they just haven’t been able to get outside.”

Understandable. By the way, coach, the mayor’s on line one.

, DataTimes