Durham Hillside's baseball game with East Chapel Hill, originally set for today, has been postponed to 5 p.m. Thursday. Standing water on the campus after Monday night's severe storm left the field unplayable for Tuesday.
In other high school baseball news,  Jordan won 13-1 at Orange on Monday, and Riverside has a game at league-leading Roxboro Person (5-2, 4-0) this evening. Jordan (13-1 overall) has won five straight since a 4-2 loss to Person.
 

East Chapel Hill’s baseball game at Durham Hillside, originally set for today, has been postponed to 5 p.m. Thursday. Standing water on the campus after Monday night's severe storm left the field unplayable for Tuesday.
The game is crucial for the Wildcats, who won five straight up to last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to West Forsyth in the Hilltop Invitational.
East Chapel Hill (8-6 overall, 3-2 PAC) remains within one game of Riverside and Jordan for second place in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.
Riverside has a game at league-leading Person (5-2, 4-0) this evening, and the Wildcats are scheduled to host Person at 4:30 p.m. Friday — less than 24 hours after playing Hillside.

Extensive rains in midweek have caused a complete revision of the Hilltop Invitational Tournament’s schedule.

The HIT still features 16 teams in two divisions, but play has been condensed into two days and spread over four campuses on Saturday. Each team will play three games, but in a round-robin format, not a playoff.

See the revised schedule here.

The Durham Bulls won't ditch their team bus.

Just in time for next week's season-opening games, the minor league baseball team announced today that Delta Air Lines will be their official airline for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The partnership reinforces Delta's interest in the Raleigh-Durham market, said airline vice president Jeff Robertson.

Delta will install advertising on signs and scoreboards at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and airline employees at RDU will wear Bulls hats and logos.

Many young recreational athletes throughout the Triangle train and practice in their sports year-round.

One way to get in some training is attending one of the many summer camps offered by public and private schools, colleges, nonprofit organizations and commercial enterprises.

Athletes even can take lessons from current and former professional players and coaches who make the Triangle their home.

The News & Observer looks at many of the top athletes in spring sports in Sunday's sports section. Nine spring sports are profiled along with dozens of high school athletes.

The free baseball clinic for seventh graders offered by Texas Rangers assistant hitting coach Johnny Narron, previously scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled because of the expected inclement weather. Johnston County Schools have called off any activities at schools scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The clinic was set to be held at Smithfield-Selma High School.

Winter started barely two weeks ago, but it's already time to count down to when pitchers and catchers report.

And that means parents planning to sign up children for spring baseball and softball leagues should plan now. Some area leagues fill up fast, and registration deadlines will arrive long before warm weather does.

To find leagues in numerous sports and instruction for all ages, check the Play! Recreational Sports Calendar regularly. The online version of the calendar is updated weekly, and the print version appears each Tuesday in the Sports section.

Is another Josh Hamilton waiting to emerge from the Triangle's baseball ranks?

He might get some help from an Eastern North Carolina baseball family.

On Jan. 8, the Narron family and friends will conduct a free skills clinic for players in the seventh grade.

The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department recently completed its three fall youth baseball league tournaments at Buffaloe Road Athletic Park.

Age 10-11 champions: The Red Sox defeated the Mets 7-6 in six innings to win the Bronco League tournament on Oct. 8. The No. 7-seeded Sox defeated the top three seeds.

Age 12-13 champions: The Twins defeated the Tigers 6-1 to win the Pony League tournament on Oct. 18.