It seems like just the other day, baseball and softball teams were beginning official spring practices. Actually that's kind of true.

Prep baseball and softball squads were able to scrimmage two weekends ago and this past weekend everyone participated in some sort of preseason tournament. Now, they have to turn their attention to games that really matter.

As early as Wednesday, league schedules begin for local teams, not giving them much time to practice and make any last-minute adjustments.

Bad weather has limited practice time even more. The only plus is that it affected teams almost equally.

But four or five games under teams' belts isn't a lot considering these early-season three-game series could end up deciding playoff berths down the line.

Still, coaches know they just have to make the most of what's given to them.

"If we're not ready, we've gotta be ready and we have three days to get ready," Reed baseball coach Nick Royle said.

Each of the three Rail City schools have big series to start the league season. Sparks opens up with a single game at home Wednesday before heading to Truckee for a doubleheader.

The Wolverines ended Sparks baseball's quest for a berth in the state tournament last season, and the Railroader softball squad just got done beating Truckee in the Yerington tournament Friday.

"Truckee is a good hitting this year. They're coming right along. They're working hard and have two quality pitchers," Sparks softball coach Frank Avilla said. "I believe our league is wide open and we're not ready to overlook anyone. We are off to a good start, but we have work to do just like everyone else."

Reed baseball has also already played their first league opponent last Friday. The Raiders came from behind to beat McQueen 12-9 in the Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament.

Royle doesn't expect to see the same Lancers team that walked 14 batters last week, but from past experiences, he has a good idea what McQueen will bring to the series when it starts Thursday at the east Sparks school.

"Coach (Brian) Nelson is going to have them ready to play. We know they're going to bunt in certain situations. They're going to look for the big hit like we are, and on defense they're going to look to get outs," Royle said. "I coached for coach Nelson years ago. He's going to have a very competitive team. I don't think from year to year, everyone's philosophy really changes. Everyone pretty much knows everyone."

Spanish Springs opens the High Desert League schedule with Reno. The Huskies were last year's Sierra League champions in both softball and baseball and are now looking to make a splash in a new league.

"They've had a great program in the past, and they have a lot of great hitters on the team. I'm excited to play them, and it's going to be a good series," SSHS softball coach Jeff Davidson said of Reno. "I thought this past weekend was very positive for us. Reno, McQueen, Reed and some other teams were at the tournament as well. It was nice to finally go out and play some games. "The teams we played from California had anywhere from five to eight games under their belt before we even had one. It was a positive experience for my group."

The Cougars are at Reno Thursday, but will host Saturday's twin bill.