THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: Let the games keep on going

Wasn’t it just last week we were putting a cap on the winter sports schedule for area high school sports?

I could have sworn that I was at home watching both Coeur d’Alene and Lake City’s boys battle for trophies in the state basketball tournament.

Today, those same Vikings are bound for Yakima to open the baseball season.

Yeah, really.

That fast.

THE SPRING sports slate continues today with Coeur d’Alene facing Gonzaga Prep and Seattle Prep to open the season at Yakima County Stadium, home of the Yakima Valley Pippins. Yakima Valley is part of the West Coast League, a collegiate summer league, with teams in Oregon and Washington.

“I’ve coached the past few years with (Gonzaga Prep coach) Brian Munhall in the fall,” Coeur d’Alene coach Erik Karns said. “Both him and Alex Sherman run a Spokane-area scout team and play some of the local NWAC schools. We always seem to end up playing against each other, so we kind of put this together. Gonzaga Prep was going to play Seattle Prep, and they invited us to come along.”

Yakima County Stadium is also home to Yakima Valley College’s baseball team.

“It’s going to be a ton of fun,” Karns said. “What a fun way to kick off the year and get to play on a college field.”

Lake City was also scheduled to open the season today at home against Central Valley of Spokane, but the game was postponed due to snow. Timberlake and Moscow opened the spring season on Thursday afternoon in Lewiston.

For the first time in Karns’ five years as coach, the Vikings were able to get some outdoor work in.

“Saturday’s going to be our first time on grass this season,” Karns said. “But, we’d been outside on the football field each day taking ground balls before spring break. Having that turf field has been enormous for us. All three teams are practicing at the same time and each of the coaches are doing a great job of leading a different aspect of it.”

IN ADDITION to the fieldhouse at Coeur d'Alene High, the Vikings also have the Schreiber Hitting Facility on campus to get work in.

“Now, we’re running practices the way we want to run them, and it’s huge for Coeur d’Alene,” Karns said. “Between the football field and Schreiber, it’s amazing. It’s been really good to have the freshmen around our seniors and learn how we do baseball the Viking way. They’re kind of being thrown to the wolves, but I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the next four years.”

Coeur d’Alene lost in the Region 1 second-place game to Lewiston last season, finishing 15-12.

Before getting into the bulk of the Inland Empire League schedule, Coeur d’Alene will travel to the Rocky Mountain tournament in Meridian before spring break March 22-23, facing defending 5A champion Owyhee on March 23.

“We want to see the best competition and best teams around,” Karns said. “I don’t know if we’ll be 0-6 or 2-6, but whatever our record might be, it really doesn’t matter at this point. All that really matters is that week in May and the regional tournament. To be ready for regionals, we’ll need to see that level of play and be comfortable playing in that district tournament.”

Which will be here before we know it.

Believe it or not.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.