BASEBALL: Time to play ball Port Angeles

PORT ANGELES — The players are trickling into town from all across the country, the grass is mowed, the infield laid down, paint is drying and the weather could be a bit more cooperative, but the Lefties are ready to play ball.

The inaugural season of the Port Angeles Lefties begins tonight at Civic Field when the nearby Victoria HarbourCats come to town via the MV Coho. Crews were out Tuesday braving at times heavy rain to get the infield and grass ready for tonight’s game.

The players? They were busy painting.

Lefties players that were already in town were put to work painting benches and their locker room in blue and orange Lefties’ colors.

First baseman Joey Galeno from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., said he didn’t mind one bit because not every field he’s played on even has Civic Field’s amenities.

“I don’t mind doing the work if you have a locker room,” he said.

Asked if he was looking forward to the season, he responded, “Absolutely. I’m very excited.”

Kieran Shaw is one of two Harvard players who came completely across the U.S. to play in Port Angeles (the other is outfielder Trent Bryan). He and Wyatt Haccou from Biola University (in Southern California) were ignoring the rain Tuesday to work out at their new home field.

Shaw said the wet weather here was pretty much the same he was seeing in Massachusetts, so it was nothing new for him.

“The West Coast grass is nicer,” he said. “It’s going to be a nice season.”

The Lefties are a wooden bat collegiate league team that will feature college players from around the country, giving these players an opportunity to hit with a wooden bat.

For players hoping to get drafted into professional baseball (and many of these players will be), it’s valuable experience to prepare them for the minor leagues.

Players from junior colleges and small colleges all the way to some big Pac-12 schools are on the Lefties’ roster. The Lefties will play in the West Coast League, featuring teams in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

Co-owner Matt Acker said ther’s plenty of work still needing to be done at Civic Field. The Lefties and the city of Port Angeles have been engaged in a months-long project to upgrade the facility. The biggest project was building a right field dugout and a party deck, which is finished and will offer a nice spot to watch the game and get food and beer.

On a whiteboard in the Lefties’ locker room is a list of things that have been finished, a list of things that help is needed for and a “to do” list that still has a few items, such as a planned hot tub on the party deck.

“There’s a lot of unfinished projects, but I hope people understand that.”

The season will start with about 22 players. Some colleges and universities are still playing postseason baseball, so not all the players will be arriving until June 18. The Lefties will have a total of 40 players, including 32 active at one time at the most.

The Lefties players’ got in their team first practice yesterday with their manager Zach Miller.

The gates will open at 5:35 p.m. today, with the game starting one hour later. General Manager Ryan Hickey said that Opening Day festivities have been planned, but that he didn’t want to reveal too many details, saying the Lefties want to keep it a surprise.

The Victoria HarbourCats were picked as the Opening Day team because of the natural geographical rivalry. After the HarbourCats game, the Lefties will go on the road for a three-game series against Kelowna, then will return for a six-game homestand against Kelowna and Walla Walla beginning Monday.

There are multi-game and season ticket packages available. Single game tickets are $5, $10 and $15 (which comes with table service.).

You will also be able to listen to the games and watch them live online, though Hickey said the Lefties’ television broadcast won’t be ready for the HarbourCats game. The game should be on Internet radio, he said.

However, if you do want to watch the game, you can on Peninsula Area Public Access Television on Channel 21 on Wave Cable, with the broadcast beginning at 6 p.m. today. You can also watching it streaming on www.papaonline.tv.

Links will be available on Leftiesbaseball.com for radio broadcasts (for away games) and television (for home games).

The forecast could be better (and it could be worse) for the season opener. The National Weather Service is calling for 50 percent chance of showers today. Acker said the weather is just one of those things the Lefties can’t worry about because there’s no control over it.

“It’s Washington and it’s baseball … you just have to deal with it [rain],” he said.

But, the rain isn’t dampening the work, nor the team’s enthusiasm, he said.

“Nothing’s stopped us,” he said.