The four baseball games against Puget Sound scheduled for March 7-8 have been canceled due to chances of rain. Forecasts of wintry conditions with highs in the low 40s, strong gusts of winds and a 50 percent chance of rain led to the decision. The games will be rescheduled for May 1-2.

This cancellation comes after the Whitman baseball team canceled their home opener against Central Washington University on February 26. That game was canceled because of confusion over the schedule of the game and won’t be made up later in the season. Whitman assistant coach Sean Kinney cited lack of pitching depth as the reason the game won’t be made up. After the initially scheduled game against Central Washington, Whitman was scheduled to enter the conference season today and figured they wouldn’t have time to play Central Washington in the middle of a week while playing four conference games each weekend. The Missionaries have no bye week from now until the end of the season either.

Whitman did not have games over last weekend, Feb. 28-Mar. 1. With the latest cancellation, other conference teams will have played as many as eight conference games before Whitman plays one.

The series against Linfield and Whitworth originally scheduled for this weekend has also been canceled and will be played the same weekend as Whitman’s series against UPS.

The Whitman baseball team was picked to finish last in conference after finishing last the year before with a 2-30 conference record. Whitman has struggled with roster numbers since the end of last season and scrimmaged last weekend with only 16 players on the team.

-Andy Jobanek, Sports Editor