As of April 23, the reconstruction of the baseball field at Rathert Stadium, where Junction City High School plays baseball, has been completed. The process of installing the turf infield and sod outfield began fall of 2018. Due to weather conditions, the completion of the field was significantly delayed.

These delays have prevented the baseball team from playing any home games so far this season. The Blue Jays who are 10-6, have been forced to play all of their games on the road.

“Being on the road is really kind of a grind as far as not having home field advantage, and of course the travel kind of gets to you team wise, but I think for the most part we have done a good job of staying focused, keeping our energy up, and we played well on the road,” said head coach Patt Stivers.

Having to travel for all of their games can be very tiring for the student athletes who have to balance their academics

The team typically plays two doubleheader games a week which makes it harder to balance their school work when they are forced to travel. Some players have missed upwards three classes per game day due to these circumstances.

“Sometimes with school, especially in Ms.Durbin’s class, I miss like three test from traveling,” said sophomore Anthony Hamilton.

For the players, the most upsetting part about the field delay is not being able to play in front of their home crowd.

“Not having a home game just kind of sucks because we work hard to show our community what we have done in the off season, in the weight room, and all that stuff,” said junior Joel Nieves.

This is especially upsetting for seniors like Thane McDaniel, who will be furthering his baseball career at the University of Kansas.

“To be honest, it’s disappointing considering coming into this year we thought we were going to have a turf field and it was going to be a new experience, but starting the season and realizing that the process went slower than expected it’s not demoralizing, it’s definitely sad for me.”