HOWELL — The chances of the Howell baseball team getting any kind of tan this week are slim, at best.
While most of the rest of the league is soaking up sun someplace warm, the Highlanders are looking to get off to a fast start today, when they begin KLAA West play with a home game against Lakeland.
“Right out of the chute, we’ve got to be ready to go,” co-coach Mike Weatherly said Tuesday. “They’re ready for us, and we love the opportunity.”
The game, which starts at 4:30 p.m., will be broadcast by The Livingston Post.
The Highlanders are 1-0 after winning the opener of a doubleheader at Lowell on Monday. The second game was suspended with Howell leading in the fourth inning and will likely be completed in late May, Weatherly said.
“It was good,” Weatherly’s son, Sam, said of playing Monday. “It gives me and the other guys a chance to get prepared for league play. It gives guys some innings who needed to play.”
Lakeland (20-10 last year) handed Howell its only conference loss last season, one the Highlanders avenged in the conference final.
“We love playing good teams starting off the season,” Sam Weatherly said. “They’re a good team and we’re looking forward to playing them.”
And, catcher Kaden Palmer said, opponents like Lakeland make up for having to stay home during spring break.
“It definitely gives us a little head start,” he said. “We get a lot of practice in and we feel gret about the season coming up.”
“We want to set a tone,” Mike Weatherly said. “We know we have to play great baseball. It’s a good challenge for the kids and for us as coaches to get them ready.”
