The baseball team has gotten of to a cold start in more ways than one.

At (5-11, 1-2) the Panthers early season performance hasn’t exactly been glacial, but the team has been rather tepid.

In the first weeks of the season the Panthers have had to battle tough opponents and harsh weather. More often than not, the team has come out on the losing end.

The Panthers rescheduled two games against Indiana State University this week. Eastern was supposed to host the Sycamores Monday but Coaches’ Stadium at Monier Field wasn’t up to par.

The Panthers were planning to head to Terre Haute, Ind. Tuesday for a second game against ISU, but a surprising late-March snowstorm made the decision to postpone the game a no contest.

An attempt to reschedule the game for Wednesday was again thwarted by poor field conditions.

So members of the Panther baseball team spent time shoveling Monier Field Wednesday. The interesting mix of athletic conditioning and grounds keeping was intended to ready the field for a doubleheader Friday versus Tennessee-Martin.

Why not integrate this unique exercise into Eastern athletics on a regular basis?

As inconsistent as the local weather has been this year, the baseball season doesn’t usually have to contend with snow too much.

But there are plenty of other athletes who compete in the fall and condition during the spring. Why not tie their workout schedules with local forecasts?

Arm these young athletes with snow shovels and disperse them amongst the city. They can get some exercise while clearing sidewalks for the senior citizens of Charleston.

Of course there are some precautions that need to be addressed. The athletic department will need to employ the services of a seasoned snow shoveler to offer instruction to Eastern’s athletes.

A young lad from a middle class family in northern Illinois, could instruct prospective shovelers to bend from the knees and wear warm clothing to avoid injury and illness. However, it’s crucial the shoveling instructor come from a family without a snowblower.

If needed, the university could recruit in the northern regions of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The effort would be worth the results. The snow shoveling program would generate good press for Eastern and after all, snow shovels are cheaper than treadmills.