The William Paterson Pioneers completed a doubleheader sweep Saturday, Feb. 21, before a powerful winter storm reshaped the rest of their schedule.
A blizzard swept through northern New Jersey late Sunday into Monday, dropping between 12 and 20 inches of snow across the region. The Pioneers were scheduled to face Stevens Ducks on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in a makeup game from an earlier postponement. That contest has now been rescheduled for the third time this season and is set for March 9.
The matchup will serve as a rematch of the season opener, when the Pioneers fell to Stevens 5-3.
Snow also forced the postponement of Thursday’s game against Arcadia Knights. That contest has been moved to Thursday, March 5.
Attention then turned to Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader against Drew Rangers at Jeff Albies Field, where university staff raced against time, and the elements, to make the field playable.
Head Coach Mike Lauterhahn was frequently seen outside, shovel in hand, helping clear the bullpen as the coaching staff and grounds crew worked together to prepare the field for both teams.
Two Kubota tractors were deployed in the effort. One pushed snow toward the fence line, while the other, equipped with an industrial-sized snowblower, cleared the warning track and launched snow over the fence.
“The blower can throw snow about 6 to 8 feet,” said Trevor Reinhardt, assistant head groundskeeper who has worked at the university for 13 years.
Reinhardt remained cautiously optimistic about the field’s condition.
“We are going to try our best, but I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” he said when asked whether the field would be ready for Saturday’s games.
By Friday morning, tractors were again clearing snow toward the fence line. Despite the crew’s efforts, the snow proved too heavy to fully remove in time to confidently prepare the field for game conditions.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. Friday, the university announced the postponement of Saturday’s doubleheader against Drew. Makeup dates have not yet been determined.
Senior Nick Durso said he has never experienced weather disruptions like this during his collegiate career.
“This is the most snow we have gotten in a while … this is the first time this has happened,” Durso said. “All three of my years the season started perfectly fine, maybe a delay or two, but nothing like this.”
The Pioneers are now scheduled to return to action Thursday, March 5, against Arcadia.
