Playing the routine game

Rainouts early in the high school baseball and softball season don’t seem to be a big deal. Teams usually build in days they can plug in those make-ups along the way.

This rainy spring and summer has area high school teams scrambling to find places to put conference games rained out before the end of the regular season.

Just found out a tidbit of Newton High softball news on Tuesday. Going into Tuesday’s home game against Class 4A No. 14 Boone, Newton senior pitcher Peyton Maher was 18 strikeouts away from racking up 600 career strikeouts. We’ll keep you posted on Maher’s milestone.

Speaking of softball tidbits: Lynnville-Sully head coach Stacey Alberts’ Hawks got her her 300th career win on June 8, a 4-1 victory over Des Moines Christian. Alberts is in her 14th season at Lynnville-Sully and is 308-150.

Also, Lynnville-Sully junior Mallory Loftus is one away from her 100th stolen base. She is 99-of-106 in her career and 25-of-28 this season. The Hawks’ sophomore pitcher Denali Conover has 142 career strikeouts in two seasons and is 31-15.

Softball teams are less than two weeks out before they open postseason play. Baseball teams are not far behind, July 13.

We all keep looking at several of the high school softball and baseball team in the area and say, “well, they have a young team.”There comes a point in a competitive sport season the youth-card can’t be played anymore.

I covered junior college sports for more than 28 years. Coaches have players for two years only. In the eyes of coaches, freshmen move into sophomores by the middle of the season.

Here in Iowa, there are eighth-graders and freshmen playing varsity softball and baseball. They have to grow up quick on the ball diamond.

Coaches and players talk of the mental game of sports — mental toughness. Part of the mental game is knowing the game and how to play situational ball.

It is 2-0 in the third inning of a ballgame. The opposing team, which leads, has two runners on base and one out. There’s a bunt. What do you do? Me, I field the ball, look the runner back and throw to first for the out. Maybe the runner on third scores, but maybe not. I get an out and give up a run. I’ll take it — it’s early in the game.

Knowing when you have booted the ball on an infield grounder not to throw in a hurry and out of control. A runner on first is better than on second because a throwing error.

Newton High’s baseball team’s mantra is “routine.” Making the routine plays in the field, plus doing the routine things at the plate to hit the ball. It’s a good mantra to have if executed.

“You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.”

– Chris Evert, women’s tennis great.

Playing your game at the best level you can will bring positive results. I’m a musician. When I was playing trumpet in high school, one of my teachers told us if we make a mistake to just keep playing the song. Meaning, the mistake was made, and we can’t go back and fix it during the performance, so forget about and move forward — keep playing.

While there’s a big scramble next week to make up softball and baseball games, I won’t be around. That is fine by me. Now wait a minute, it’s not that I don’t want to be covering the games, but … it’s time for vacation.

Iowa sports don’t give sports writers much breathing room. I’m ready for a break, but I’ll be back in time for the high school playoff run by the area baseball and softball teams. There’s two race weekends — July 19-20 and July 26-27 — remaining for Iowa Speedway.

I plan to be fishing with my dad at the Sheets’ family pond in Kansas. Picture it: a three-acre long, spring-fed pond surrounded by woodland; there’s a picnic area under big shade trees; sounds of birds and far, far away from the maddening crowd. It’s a great place to set up my camp chair, have a cool Pepsi, put my line in the water and read a book while tempting bluegill, catfish and bass.

So, to the athletes I say — keep playing and I’ll see you in a week.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at jsheets@newtondailynews.com