Many hours they should have spent practicing, Aaliyah Rivas and her teammates roamed the University of Nevada, Reno softball field carrying shovels and buckets instead of bats and balls.
The athletic department rarely maintained the field. So plowing snow, pulling weeds and picking rocks, trash and goose poop out of the grass fell to coaches and players.
The team had complained for years about its dilapidated facilities. The dugout toilets didn’t flush. The field lacked lights, which meant games could be played only in the daytime, when many fans were in class or working.
Its locker room – a 10-foot-wide converted metal shipping container – lacked running water and the doors didn’t lock. Many players changed into their uniforms in their cars.
The Nevada baseball team suffered none of those problems. Its field was well-maintained with artificial turf and stadium lights. Its spacious clubhouse featured bathrooms and showers, coach and player lounges, indoor batting cages and pitching mounds, a medical training room and a fitness area.