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The month of February had its share of storms including week long rainy days. But Mother Nature is going to have to try a lot harder to prevent California Baptist University Baseball team from playing. The CBU baseball team has a unique way of dealing with the elements to continue on their great start to their conference schedule.

Andrew Brasington played four years on the CBU baseball team. He has let the light shine on how training goes on. Brasington gave much credit to the facilities the baseball team has and uses to their advantage against the rain.

"We use our covered cages, the fact that they are so long, we are able to split the boys up to get batting practice in," Brasington said. If the field is covered, the team sets up stationary bases in the outfield. This enables the team to work on small exercises such as bunting coverage. In addition to our covered cages, we have a covered bull-pen. Having a covered bull-pen allows the pitchers to get their training in.

CBU has been equipped with a full field tarp. So when the rain starts to fall, the team moves quickly and covers up the field. "The tarp has saved us, in my six years here we have never had a game cancelled due to field conditions." Brasington said.

The baseball clubhouse provides a refuge from the weather. The team is able to sit and "wait out the rain". In doing so, the team can talk about game plans, watch game film, and go over scouting reports on their next opponent. Also, Brasington explained how the training depends on their scouting reports. The coach creates a strategic plan on how to prepare the team.

When it comes to game days, the weather plays a crucial role. As with any sport the number one priority is the safety of the athletes. The number one concern here in Southern California is lightening.

Lightening will cancel a game immediately. The teams do have an option of "waiting it out" if the coaches agree upon it; then the amount of sunlight comes into play.
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Once 4 1⁄2 innings have been played, the rules state that it is sufficient enough time to be considered a full game. The CBU baseball team just had their opening week into confer- ence play against league rival Concordia Eagles from Irvine.

Beating them in their first three games. "As a team, we are excited about our start, we need to stay healthy and put in our time and effort to keep it going." Brasington said.