Now less than 48-hours until you hear the sweet sound of the crack of a bat on City Island in Harrisburg once again.
A few changes for the teams to get used to but the Senators are ready to host their home opener this Tuesday against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
The last time a Harrisburg Senators game was held on FNB Field was way back in 2019. The Senators now with a larger roster than every before, with 28-active players, rotations will become even more important because these teams will be playing 6-nine inning games in six days . The only day for practice or rest is on Monday's.
“What we’re going to end up doing is being reactive to what happens and what the players need and the work than needs to be done. I hope there’s no change in the product, I hope guys are ready but I have a feeling, they haven’t played everyday since 2019," said Tripp Keister, Senators Manager.
Some players were lucky enough to get some time on the field at an alternate site but players having to improvise when they didn’t know what was next.
“Luckily, I spent some time at my parents house, and we have a batting cage there and I have a little brother who’s willing to throw with me. So, I had plenty of opportunities to at least stay shape, maybe not progress as much as you’d like," said Jackson Cluff, Senators shortstop.
The players have an increased sense of urgency to be the best they can be.
“Not only are we competing with the people in minor league baseball. We’re competing with the kids coming up in the draft and you have a small window of where you need to get to in order to play at the big league level. It definitely puts some pressure on the game but I think that’s where everyone thrives the most," said Cluff.
The Senators have only had one full-team practice before kicking off the 2021 season in Somerset last Tuesday. The Senators were only victorious in one of the six game series. They will host Richmond in their home opener Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.