'It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience'

MOSES LAKE — Practices during a season can be grueling and repetitive, especially when you’re in the same routine for a three-month span. 

Well, that routine changed for the Moses Lake baseball team last weekend; the team held a practice at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the home of the Seattle Mariners.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially playing baseball since I was 8 years old — just having the opportunity to go practice at a team I’ve been watching since I can remember,” Moses Lake junior Hayden Meek said. 

Moses Lake-based Northwest Turf Solutions had resurfaced the playing field at T-Mobile Park last month, due to off-season events held on the field.

“They had had the Winter Classic, plus other events all off-season, so we knew the field was going to be all tore up from ice rinks and everything out on it, so the grass was all going to be dead,” said Nathan Cox, president of Northwest Turf Solutions. “We knew that was happening, so they called us to make sure we save plenty of sod and then use it as a good opportunity to get all the grades back in check.”

In a conversation between Cox, Trevor Gooby, the senior vice president of ballpark operations for the Seattle Mariners, and Kevin Dvorak, the director of grounds for T-Mobile Park, Gooby noted how they were looking for a team to take the field to ensure everything was up to par before the Mariners return for the regular season.

“Trevor goes, ‘Man, It’d be really nice if somebody could play on this before the Mariners get here, just to make sure everything flows well, do a good run through with our crew there as far as painting lines and use it as a training day for all the new field day crew for the Mariners,’” Cox said. “... He was mentioning that, and he says, ‘You don’t know anybody who would be willing to do that?’ Well, I’ve got a pretty good idea of a team that would love to do that.”

Moses Lake baseball Head Coach Donnie Lindgren said he didn’t have any problem with Cox volunteering the Mavericks; it’s not every day you get to practice at a big league park.

“Nathan (Cox) and his crew, I think they looked out for us and saw an opportunity; it presented itself, and we jumped at the chance,” Lindgren said. “We had a five-day period to be able to do it, and it worked our perfectly on a Saturday where our kids don’t have to miss school and we didn’t have a game that day. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance that we couldn’t pass up.”

Upon arriving at the ballpark, the first 15 minutes was spent taking videos and pictures and FaceTiming friends and family. Despite the awe of walking on a Major League field, the practice was a simple one for the Mavericks; after stretching, the team conducted sessions in the infield and outfield before hitting for nearly two hours. Everyone got the chance to hit; the players, coaches, scorekeepers and even the bus driver that took the team across the Cascades.

“Even though the dimensions are almost the same as Larson Field, it’s so big with the seating and arches, and the skyline of Seattle,” Lindgren said. “It was a beautiful day in Seattle.”

Two batters hit home runs during the practice; Lindgren’s son Dax Lindgren, a member of Moses Lake’s state championship team in 2019, and Meek; Meek went over the right field wall, and was instantly surrounded by teammates.

“I popped up the first one, then I hit two back-to-back to the wall,” Meek said. “The guys were giving me crap about it, going ‘Aw, can’t hit one out?’ Then I take one pitch, and the next one I hit out. I was so excited, and all the guys rallied around me. It was real cool.”

Traveling to Seattle for practice spawned excitement across the team, Meek said.

“All the guys were excited to go out and practice at a big league field,” Meek said. “All the guys have been playing together since we were little, (and got to) this experience together.”

The practice session must have given the Mavs a bit of a confidence booth heading into the week; the team completed the regular season sweep of Sunnyside, winning 10-0 in Tuesday and winning both games on Friday by scores of 11-0 and 10-0.

“I just want to thank Nathan (Cox), and Desert Green and the Mariners,” Lindgren said. “They were absolutely wonderful.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Moses Lake-based Northwest Turf Solutions completed a resurfacing of T-Mobile Park last month, and President Nathan Cox said grounds crew at the stadium was looking for a team to practice on the newly installed field before the Seattle Mariners begin their regular season.