Blewett, Kendall coping with weather up north

While high schools in many southern states are beginning to move toward the start of the playoffs, some of their northern counterparts are just getting their seasons underway.

One solution to the cold, early-spring weather is to take a trip south during spring break. That's what right-hander Scott Blewett and Baker (N.Y.) High School did this week, travelling to Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

Blewett, who entered the spring ranked No. 40 on MLB.com's Top 50 Draft prospects list, made one start while the team was in Florida. He struck out 13 batters in six innings and threw his fastball in the low-90s.

For teams that are unable to play out of the cold, the weather can wreak havoc on early-season schedules as Holman (Wisc.) High School and outfielder Jeren Kendall have found out this year.

Kendall played well in several high-profile showcases last summer and was ranked No. 49 on the early Draft prospects list. But, between the late start of Wisconsin's high school baseball season and poor weather in the Upper Midwest, he has played just four games. Already, seven of Holmen's games have been postponed or cancelled.

Kendall, who is committed to Vanderbilt, is attempting to become the first Wisconsin high school player to be drafted in the first 100 picks since 1985. His tools are good enough to make that happen, if the weather can cooperate enough for evaluators to make their way to Holmen to see him play.