If you have driven on Tuckerman Lane these past few months, you may have seen what looks like a major construction zone on the baseball field. But baseball season already started, so how could they be doing work on the field during the season?

According to athletic director Scott Rivinius, complete renovation of the decade-old baseball dugouts started earlier this spring due to delayed approval to begin construction.

“Ideally we would have construction take place over the summer or early fall, but it took longer than usual to get all the approvals from the county,” Rivinius said.

Bad weather this winter was another reason why the dugout rebuilding process took so long to initiate. Major snowfall swept through the area in the later part of the winter, leaving the fields in poor, unimaginable conditions.

Senior captain Jack Langerman tries to keep his team optimistic, explaining to his teammates that adapting and adjusting is a key part of managing the season without dugouts.

“I tell them [that] the bottom line is dugouts don’t determine games,” Langerman said. “We just have to play ball.”

According to Langerman, the team was told that they were going to have the dugouts prepared by the season debut, but even though they were disappointed by the delayed construction, they were comforted by the fact that the dugouts are almost finished.

The visiting team’s dugout was especially in need of repair, as it was in danger of collapsing.

According to Rivinius, the dugouts were supposed to be done shortly after spring break, and there was no rush to do so because they were still able to play games on the field.

“The players used benches brought from the stadium,” Rivinius said. “Having or not having dugouts doesn’t define them as a team.”

Varsity baseball coach Scott Blackwood agrees with Rivinius that having a dugout does not win games for his team.

“We are focused on getting better,” Blackwood said. “Execution wins games. That is what we are focused on.”

According to Blackwood, his team not having dugouts does not pose an obstacle. The dugouts are almost ready, and the team is eagerly waiting the good news.

“It has been a long process to get to this point,” Blackwood said. “Everyone in the baseball program is happy with the progress.”