Spring sports battle weather conditions to get rain-soaked seasons underway

Spring sports battle weather conditions to get rain-soaked seasons underway
The record winds on March 14 whipped the infield tarp on Matt Mazzei Field at Clayton Valley Charter High School on to the backstop and the screen down the third baseline. Ugly Eagles baseball coach Casey Coakley says it took seven coaches and employees at the Concord school two hours to pull the tarp off the screen.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Mar. 15, 2023) — There has been no bigger story in Northern California over the past several months than one that is as old as time—the weather.  And for all the talk about a multi-year drought in the state coming to an end and the damage and hardships the winter storms have brought, there’s another consequence that hits close to home for high school athletes.

The majority of spring sports are played outdoors and the rains have brought major challenges for athletes and teams to train and get in competitions amidst the atmospheric rivers and what the rain, which is so welcome in easing drought conditions, has created less than favorable field conditions.

None the less, as the spring sports schedules here show, Diablo and East Bay athletic league schools league schedules in most sports are already underway with the desired outcome of getting all the meets, matches and games played before the North Coast Section and CIF playoffs in April and May, overcoming the havoc wrought on practices, games and playing fields.

Getting all the competition in during spring 2023 is a welcome task for spring sports coaches who had virtually no chance for their current seniors to take part in 2020 and a very reduced 2021 schedule as athletics were still coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spring Sports Schedules

Badminton

EBAL League Games TBA

EBAL Tournament May 6 (Dougherty Valley)

NCS Championships May 13

NorCal Championships May 20 (Newark Memorial, Newark)

Baseball

DAL Valley League Games Mar. 14 – May 11

DAL Foothill League Games Apr. 11 – May 11

EBAL League Games Mar. 15 – May 5

EBAL League Tournament Week of May 8

NCS Championships May 16-27

NorCal Championships May 30 – June 3

Competitive Cheer (Stunt)

DAL League Games Mar. 10 – Apr. 21

EBAL League Games Mar. 14 – Apr. 21

EBAL League Championship Apr. 25

NCS Championships Apr. 29

CIF NorCal Invitational Championships May 12-13

Golf (Boys)

DAL League Feb. 27 – Apr. 27

EBAL League Matches Feb. 28 – Apr. 27

DAL League Championships May 1)

EBAL League Championships May 1

NCS Division II Championships May 8

NCS Division I Championships May 15

NorCal Championships May 22

CIF State Championships May 31

Lacrosse (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Games Mar. 3 – Apr. 21

DAL Championships Apr. 25-28

EBAL League Games Mar. 24 – Apr. 28

NCS Playoffs May 2-11

Softball

DAL Mountain League Games Apr. 13 – May 11

DAL Valley League Games Mar. 16 – May 11

DAL Foothill League Games Mar. 28 – May 11

EBAL League Games Mar. 14 – May 4

EBAL Championships Week of May 8

NCS Playoffs May 16-27

NorCal Championships May 30 – June 3

Swimming & Diving (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Dual Meets Mar. 6 – Apr. 17

EBAL League Dual Meets Mar. 15 – Apr. 19

DAL JV Invitational Meet (Campolindo High) Apr. 29

DAL League Championships Apr. 27-29 (Campolindo High)

EBAL League Championships Apr. 28-29

NCS Championship Meet May 4-6 (Concord Community Pool)

State Championship Meet May 11-13 (Clovis Olympic Swim Complex)

Tennis (Boys)

DAL League Matches Mar. 14 – Apr. 25

EBAL League Matches Mar. 7 – Apr. 25

DAL Tournament Apr. 27-29

EBAL Tournament Apr. 27- May 1

NCS Singles/Doubles Championships May 5-6

NCS Team Championships May 9-13

NorCal Team Championships May 16-20

Track & Field (Boys & Girls)

DAL League Meets Mar. 8 – Apr. 19

DAL League Championship Meet Apr. 29 and May 6

EBAL Championships May 5 (San Ramon Valley)

NCS Tri-Valley Area Meet May 13

NCS Meet of Champions May 19-20

CIF State Meet May 26-27 (Veterans Memorial Stadium, Clovis)

Volleyball (Boys)

DAL Foothill League Games Mar. 16 – Apr. 27

DAL Valley League Games Mar. 2 – Apr. 27

EBAL League Games Mar. 7 – April 25

EBAL Playoffs Apr. 27-29

NCS Playoffs May 2-11

NorCal Championships May 16-20

Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré
Sports and Schools Editor at The Concord Clayton Pioneer | sports@pioneerpublishers.com | Website

Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.

[USM_plus_form]