Warren Central pitcher Nick Carson throws a curveball to catcher Porter Holliday at practice earlier this week. (Meredith Spencer The Vicksburg Post)

[1/7/05] The slap of horsehide on leather. The ping of aluminum and the gentle, warm breeze that flowed across the area earlier this week.

Who needs a groundhog when you have these surefire signs that spring is only six weeks away?

Warren County’s high school baseball teams hit the practice field for the first time this week, beginning preparations for the 2005 season. The early workouts include as much running and throwing as swinging a bat and running the bases.

All four county teams Vicksburg High, Warren Central, St. Aloysius and Porters Chapel are emphasizing conditioning and fundamentals this week and next, and won’t delve into game situations until late January or February.

“We’re working the pitchers extra. They’re not having a whole lot of fun right now,” Warren Central coach Randy Broome said with a laugh. “The biggest thing the first couple of weeks is just getting the kids back into baseball shape.”

At St. Al, first-year coach Clint Wilkerson is running the rust off his team.

Wilkerson, who also serves as the strength and conditioning coach for the school’s football team, has been working with most of his players in the weight room since August.

The regimen includes a workout called “The Corps,” which involves 30 minutes of ab work, lunges and exercises with a 10-pound medicine ball.

“It’s hell with a medicine ball,” freshman Chip Donald said with a laugh.

The Flashes have also been running regularly. During football season, Wilkerson could often be found running on the field with a handful of players during the early afternoon.

On Tuesday, he beamed with pride as he talked about the progress of several team members, occasionally pausing to holler out times as they ran around the perimeter of the football field. The goal was an 8-minute mile for every player. If they didn’t make it, they wouldn’t receive practice gear. All but one came in well under the time.

“We had a football player jokingly come out here and try to run with us. We do 25 minutes of work, and he didn’t last but two minutes,” Wilkerson said with a smile. “We don’t train like a high school team. We train like a college team. If they work like they’re at another level, I feel like they’ll play at another level.”

The running test was just the first half of practice for the Flashes. Afterward, they packed up and drove across town to their practice field at the Knights of Columbus for an hour of drills.

It’s a similar routine at Vicksburg and Warren Central, where an hour or so of conditioning is followed by brushing up on the fundamentals.

“We’ll start every day working with weights,” Vicksburg coach Jamie Creel said. “We’ll try to wear them out, and at the same time get the weights in, get the running in, and go from there.”

At Porters Chapel, however, coach Randy Wright hasn’t been able to follow that same basic workout structure. About half his team also plays basketball and won’t be available for full practices until February. PCA’s field is also soggy from recent rains, making it difficult to work on anything more than throwing.

“We won’t have the majority of the team until basketball is over,” Wright said. “We’re going to do some things with the guys we do have. We have four or five starters out here, so that’s a positive. We’re going to start throwing, long tossing, and get the arms in shape. If it dries out we’ll hit in the cage and run.”