Baseball club plays on

Eastern's baseball club had a season this school year that was different than previous years; there was no official baseball field for EWU.

"It was tough not having our own place to play," said baseball club President Joel Aiken.

Aiken described that in a recent weekend, the team almost had to forfeit because they had trouble finding a place to play.

"I think it really hurt our turnout this year," said Aiken on how the loss of a playing field has affected the team. He said that in a normal year, 40-50 guys would show up at practice, but this year, there was only an average of 10 people at any given practice session.

Aiken said the baseball club in general was a little less organized this year than in years past. "After a year of not having a field we'll be a lot better at it," said Aiken.

The club is currently 6-9 and missed a chance at the playoffs. However, there is one final chance for students to see the club in action when they play the Tri-City Pilots in a doubleheader that starts at noon at the Cheney High School field.

"Cheney High was very generous to us," said Aiken. The school did not charge the team for the use of its field this year.

Aiken says that the club gets $8,000 from the school each year and the club also fundraises often. But last year, the club became aware of the school's decision to eliminate the baseball field.

"A lot of guys were pretty angry," said Aiken. "We had pretty much no support."

"Not a single person cared whether we had a baseball field or not," said Aiken.

Meanwhile, the recently finished recreation center at Eastern boasts a brand new ice rink for the hockey club.

Aiken said he came to the realization this year that he could not dwell on the school's decision and he concentrated on the club instead. "It's gone, deal with it," said Aiken. Back when Eastern's baseball field was in use, the baseball club itself maintained the grounds. "We put all the work in ourselves," said Aiken.

Aiken said that the talent level of the club is mid- to low-level college talent. There are currently 17 players on the team. Of these, Aiken said that 12-13 will probably return next year.

Since it is a club and not an NCAA team, there are no roster cuts. "If you pay your dues you can come to practice," said Aiken.

Over the years, baseball at Eastern has gone from being an official NCAA team to not even having a field for the club to use.

Aiken said that previously, the baseball team was very good and that Eastern would often times beat Washington State University, University of Washington and Gonzaga. He said that in no other Eastern sport would these teams be beat all the time.