The sun was shining and temperatures reached into the 60s Wednesday, when the University of Illinois Springfield softball team reveled in the great outdoors.
UIS has practiced outside once for almost every 12 games it has played. The Prairie Stars have 35 games under their belts, yet have practiced outdoors only three times, twice this week and once last week.
A break in the weather has made it possible for the Stars to finally take to their diamond two-thirds of the way through the regular-season schedule. An extended winter and wet weather had kept the Stars inside at The Hitting Center since January.
“Now that we’re outside and practicing, our defense has gotten a lot better,” UIS sophomore pitcher Cheyanne Bowman said. “Usually we are inside on turf and weren’t used to dirt so at the beginning we were a little shaky.”
The team was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 10, 2014.
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