PBA ready for Vegas games

By Lethbridge Herald on February 13, 2024.

Herald Photo by Justin Seward Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs Josh Clark attempts to hit the ball during indoor batting practice at Lloyd Nolan Yard on Tuesday.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Prairie Baseball Academy’s varsity team unofficially begins their new spring season later this week during their annual Las Vegas trip for tune-up games.

PBA will be playing 10 games over seven days against College of Southern Nevada and Northwest Colorado Community College.

“We’re really young this year,” said Todd Hubka, PBA head coach.

“I think we have 10 or 11 returning guys and the rest are new to the program. So kind of gets our feet wet in college baseball and humbles a few kids. Some other kids step up and show what they’re made of but it’s just Southern Nevada’s probably one the better teams we play all year. So we got to show them right away that we’re ready to go.”

The games get the Dawgs ready for their upcoming season.

“It just gets us out on the field playing and kind of as a coaching staff, we get to see what we have as a team, and what we need to work on (and) what we do good. So it’s just kind of a learning curve for everybody,” said Hubka.

Hubka thinks out of the 10 games that if PBA can come back with a .500 record, he would be excited about it.

“We’re going to take our bumps in a few games but hopefully we settle our nerves down and play like we can,” said Hubka.

While the sophomores know what they’ll get out of the experience, it is the freshman that Hubka will look for learning lessons in.

“What I hope they get out of this is this isn’t youth baseball anymore, this is college baseball,” said Hubka.

“It’s extremely hard and just to learn how to slow the game down and mature as a player and as a person.”

Third-year Zaden Wake sees the opportunity to learn how to play together.

 “You kind of learn how to play with each other, which I always think is a good thing to start off the year,” he said 

The players will get to experience Las Vegas off the field with fun activities such as Top Golf and Old Las Vegas.

PBA departs on the bus trip tomorrow morning for Vegas.