craigdailypress.com

Craig — In search of a warmer climate, a baseball field void of snow and a little bit of team chemistry, the Moffat County High School baseball team spent last week in Arizona to participate in spring training.

The team returned Saturday, and first-year coach Tim Hafey said the time spent on the road proved invaluable.

"It was a really good trip," he said. "It was nice to see grass stains on the baseball instead of ice scuff marks. The team really improved in the five days of practice."

The Bulldogs played three games in Montrose before the trip - winning two of three - so the time away from home actually was nine days.

Moffat County spent 4 to 5 hours a day on the diamonds in Chandler, Ariz., working on all aspects of their game.

When practice was finished, baseball still was king.

Monday through Friday, when the Bulldogs weren't practicing, the team became spectators of the sport they love.

The team watched other high schools play, soaked up the sun in the stands of a few college games and had an opportunity to catch an Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Seattle Mariners game.

"It was a week of baseball, baseball and more baseball," Hafey said. "We crammed three weeks of practice into five days and then we spent the rest of the time watching and learning from other teams."

Hitting, fielding and "baseball intensity" were at the forefront of Hafey's lesson plan and he said now that the trip is over, he has a much better feel for the team.

"A lot of kids stepped up," he said. "They got better every day.

"It was almost comical in the beginning. The kids were baffled, dazed and confused, but boy, there was some serious improvement."

With temperatures in the 70s and 80s for much of the trip, Hafey and the team ran into an unforeseen issue.

"It was nice that it wasn't snowing sideways or raining," he said. "But, we have a lot of kids with sunburn. I gave them shorts to hit in, but that only helps so much."

Hafey said he was proud of the effort put in by the team, their poise on the road and determination.

"We brought 16 kids to Arizona," he said. "And 16 kids had a really good time. There were no complaints and they stayed out of trouble. It was a good time and well worth it."

John Vandelinder can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 211, or jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com