WASHINGTON — Rain-outs are less likely to happen at home games for the University of Mary Washington baseball team, thanks to a donation from the Potomac Nationals.
The Single-A affiliate for the big-league Washington Nationals had a financially successful year in 2013, so its ownership decided to splurge on a new tarp.
With one now to spare, the P-Nats might have cut it up into band aids to cover blemishes in Pfitzner Stadium. But, plans changed after a phone call.
“The head coach over there at Mary Washington actually reached out to us, and wanted to see what the availability of our tarp would be,” says Bryan Holland, a spokesman for the P-Nats. “It’s kind of a shot in the dark.”
The Eagles head coach Wayne Riser made the call ahead of his team’s home opener February 15. Potomac had a tarp on hand.
“I’m just so glad that we were able to have the stars align and do something for Mary Washington baseball that’s really going to affect them in a positive way,” Holland says.
Players for the Division III team personally went to the P-Nats field in Woodbridge, loaded the tarp on a flat bed, and hauled it back to their home at the V. Earl Dickinson Stadium in Fredericksburg.
“This tarp will benefit UMW Baseball student-athletes for years to come and is a great boost to our program,” Riser says.
The tarp may have been a good omen. After losing its season opener to Messiah College, the Eagles won four straight games.
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