Beavers On The Road: Baseball In Nashville, Day Two
June 9, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Day two on the road with the Beavers is in the books, and the big question some of us have had is, `when do we get to play?'
Teams fly into Pac-10 cities just the day before the start of a series so it seems strange that the Beavers have yet to play in a game during their trip. Obviously, the team has practiced, doing so today at Vanderbilt for 75 minutes as allowed by the NCAA. It was hot, make no mistake about it, but not nearly as hot nor muggy as the weather in Gainesville, Fla. For anyone who went on that trip last year, you know how extreme the weather was.
Hawkins Field is a unique park, but very much like Goss Stadium. It's tucked into a tight space, bordered by Vanderbilt's basketball arena and football stadium in left field, and a street down the right field line. It has a very big fence down the left field line that mirrors Fenway Park's Green Monster. It's made of aluminum, and every time a fly ball hit the wall, a loud pang could be heard throughout the park. It's a pretty cool feature.
Believe it or not, there is less foul territory at Hawkins Field than there is at Goss, especially behind the plate. Who would have thought that could ever be the case?
After the workout, the team basically broke up into two groups. One consisted of players who needed to take finals, and those who were already done and got to enjoy a night out. A few went to P.F. Chang's, while others were seen at Chipotle. There's certainly plenty of places to go, even a restaurant practically next door that serves bison meat. Pretty interesting.
It's been a long day, especially when you factor in 90-degree weather with a good dose of humidity. So I'm keeping this one short. But, as you all know, tomorrow is gameday. First pitch is at 5 p.m. on the West Coast and everyone can watch on ESPNU in HD and on ESPN3.com. Mike Parker has the call on the Beaver Sports Radio Network.
And don't forget, you can follow along on Twitter.com/Beaver_Baseball. We'll get you some inside info and updates as the Super Regional progresses.
Go Beavs!
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