The Miners baseball squad was broken into different groups Thursday at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse for practice. Some groups practiced hitting and some fielding at the indoor turf facility on the outskirts of Park City. Unfortunately for the team, this has been their practice situation all season. 

With the area seeing another above-average snow season, the latest white out coming as recent as Sunday, the Miners have been unable to clear their field at Park City High School. This has also led them to play over 70% and counting of their regular season on the road. Park City settles on a game location, loads up the busses and plays ball. 

The Miners players have yet to complain, however, showcasing their love for the sport. They’re currently 11-7 on the regular season, with seven contests left to go. Park City will look to return home down that stretch, with four of those upcoming games scheduled at Park City High. 

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If they aren’t able to do so, there will be no signs of panic on the faces of longtime head coach David Feasler or his players. The boys are ranked eighth in 4A, with a pair of marquee wins to their names. Park City defeated the top-two ranked 5A teams, Orem and Viewmont, respectively, in back-to-back games March 11 and 15. 

Feasler said the stalwart mindset of his players has helped them along this arduous journey. He admitted he’s complained to administration; tired of schlepping all around Utah just to get games in. 

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Feasler is also a business education teacher at the high school. 

“Eighth year in a row,” Feasler said of the constant road contests. “That’s a disadvantage. Not being able to practice is a disadvantage, and I can’t imagine what would happen if this was football, basketball, any other sport.”

Feasler estimates each road game adds around two hours to an already four hour afternoon for his boys, with varsity and junior varsity often playing back-to-back. While the Miners had hoped to hit their home field Friday against Cottonwood, they’ll be playing that game at Skyline High in Salt Lake City for their 19th-consecutive road trip. Feasler again noted that his and the softball program desperately need turf fields, which he feels hopeful they’ll get somewhat soon. 

Feasler had a sarcastic chuckle, recalling how he told his athletic director Jamie Sheetz recently, “‘Imagine if we could actually practice?'”

Feasler has high expectations for this bunch, especially with the new classification and region (10). Park City is being led by junior Justin Michaelis and senior Griffen Rogers, who are each mashing the ball with .500 and .396 averages, respectively. Feasler thinks Michaelis, Rogers and the boys will certainly earn some home playoff games. 

Park City baseball nor softball have yet to get over the hump and win a state title, yet Feasler thinks with an investment and some attention his program could rise to the top at the school. Rogers thinks an inaugural state title could be in the cards right now. 

Rogers serves as a bit of a utility player for the squad, batting, playing center and pitching. 

“Season’s going great, all the guys are playing really well, we’re playing as a team,” said Rogers. “Every year we have talks and hopes of making it to the state championship and winning it. Seeing last year how disappointing it was to see those seniors leave without one, it definitely motivates us.”

Rogers said being held indoors for practices hasn’t impacted him or the team in the batters box, clearly, yet he thinks strides will be made defensively once they get outside. The Basin Fieldhouse is screened in for patrons safety and nothing the size of an outdoor baseball field, so the team will be able to practice ground balls in the dirt, pop flies in the sky and everything else that a game could throw their way. 

Michaelis said the Miners’ pitching and transfer player contributions shouldn’t be overshadowed by the team’s red-hot bats. The team relies on a three-game series starting rotation including Jakob Devries, Colton Schmidt and Rogers, and has received significant contributions from transfers Ashton Gurney, Royal Matthews and Tage McKinley. Gurney blasted his first homer in Park City’s 22-11 win over Cottonwood Wednesday; he’s to head to southern California as an Antelope Valley College commit.

Michaelis knows his squad has the bats they need, and hopes they can remain hot for the remaining season. He thanked all his coaches for helping them stay in rhythm thus far.

“I do think we’ll continue hitting, as we have a very deep lineup that extends even to our top bench guys,” Michaelis said. “Our first goal is to win region. We have come close the last two years, but haven’t gotten to the top so that is the regular season goal. The goal for the playoffs, it’s to win the first playoff series to get into the top eight. We have been swept our last two years, so getting to top eight is the goal because once you’re there it’s double-elimination and anything can happen, and that’s where I think we will thrive.”

After tomorrow’s Cottonwood series-finale, the squad will begin a series with another regional foe in Hillcrest. They will face the Huskies Tuesday on the road, Wednesday hopefully at home and then next Friday again on the road, all games beginning at 3:30 p.m. 

The Miners will conclude their regular season against Stansbury with a series from April 23-26. The playoff bracket will be unveiled May 1, with games beginning May 3.