Spring sports bloom

The rippling effects of President George W. Bush’s re-election is starting to hit Clovis.

CHS track head coach Darren Kelly is attending the inauguration, so he’ll miss the first few days of spring practice. He’ll miss a lot of basic conditioning.

The pole vaulters were just setting up the safety vaulting pads at the north end of Leon Williams Stadium on their first day. Clovis pole vaulting coach Orlando Terrazas said the track athletes start off slow, trying to build up a base of strength and endurance.

The Wildcats baseball team is a little farther ahead than the track team. It has had informal workouts since the beginning of the school year, including some non-school sponsored fall league games.

Clovis coach Shane Shallenberger said the preseason workouts allow the team to start off a little more advanced.

Instead of the pitchers spending practice loosening up their arms after a winter of dormancy, they can go straight to the cage to throw batting practice.

“Kids are just going to be at the next level,” Shallenberger said.

Shallenberger said the team is excited about the upcoming season.

“Those kids love baseball. They hound you the moment school starts. ‘When does fall baseball start?’” Shallenberger said.

Like their winter sports brethren, the spring sports have to deal with preparing for the upcoming season without a number of potential varsity players.

Shallenberger said he has six players on the basketball team that could miss as many as eight games with a deep run into the state playoffs. Clovis opens the season Feb. 24.

First-year Clovis softball coach Brandi Thomas said she’s also missing a couple of players to basketball.

However, Shallenberger said playing basketball helps with the quickness, conditioning and footwork needed in baseball.

“The other sports benefit our sport also,” he said.

Practices for the Lady Cats softball team, which went 12-12 last year, may be a little chilly early on. Thomas also coaches basketball at Yucca Junior High, so softball practice will come under the lights when schedules conflict.

Thomas said the team will focus on conditioning and fundamentals early on. The Lady Wildcats’ first game is March 4 at home.