While the baseball team headed south to Mississippi to avoid the frigid temperatures, it was hit with a chilly, rainy weekend against Ole Miss. It was, however, the only team that managed to face competition this weekend.

The softball team canceled its trip to the Southern Illinois Tournament while the men’s and women’s tennis teams both canceled meets at Valparaiso, Northern Illinois, University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

And although warmer weather is bound to arrive eventually, what are these teams supposed to go?

The answer is the Lantz Fieldhouse.

Six teams will now have to arrange practice times in the indoor facility until the temperatures increase, or they head to their Spring Break location.

The baseball and softball teams are unable to face live pitching, the men’s and women’s tennis teams are unable to practice on the typical outdoor surface of the courts and the men’s and women’s track and field teams cannot race on the wider turns and full 400-meter track.

The track and field teams also face more difficulties than just the size of the track. Outdoor events such as the steeplechase and the javelin throw do not take place during the indoor season, and these athletes are still waiting to head outdoors. And even if the outdoor season could begin outside, the team can’t step foot on the track. It doesn’t have any lines.

The resurfaced track will make for better racing conditions, but the team cannot begin to run on it until it is finished – which also requires warmer temperatures to complete the job.

And while the teams can hope for warmer weather after returning from spring break, the next week will prove to be tough competition for the Panthers.

The baseball team travels to Southern Mississippi, New Orleans and Arkansas State – three teams who have the advantage of warmer practice weather much earlier than Eastern does. Softball plays in the Elon Phoenix Classic where it will face teams that have been outdoors for much of the Panthers’ winter season.

The track and field teams must quickly adjust before the men race in Georgia and the women compete in Tallahassee, Fla. Even the tennis teams have a spring break trip to get away from the cold.

So now that Eastern is experiencing the coldest weather of the season, the Panther athletic teams must bare with the conditions, continue their indoor practices and hope for the best over spring break. Maybe spring will break in Charleston when they get back.