A midseason slump for the Adel-Desoto-Minburn Tigers baseball team has the squads head coach looking into ways they can improve their start to games. ADM enters the week losing five of their last six results on the field; their 9-8 loss Tuesday against Norwalk turned into a win (7-0) after the game due to the Warriors playing an ineligible player. ADM head baseball coach Jason Book taped an interview for the Raccoon Valley Radio’s Around the Bases program Saturday morning and said his team’s struggles appear to come from their pregame preparation. “We’re not showing up with our focus, and we’re not ready to play in the first inning,” Book said, “There’s been a couple of nights where we haven’t been ready to play the game until the third inning.”

Since their 1-0 loss to Bondurant-Farrar at the end of May, ADM has been outscored 20-5 in the first two innings of games during June. Four of the five runs ADM scored came in the opening inning of the Tigers 10-0 win over the Coon Rapids-Bayard Crusaders on June 2. Book is optimistic changes in the pregame routine will help send the Tigers in the right direction with 20 games remaining on the schedule. ADM resumes their Raccoon River Conference season tonight at home against Ballard Bombers. Live play by play coverage from ADM’s baseball field starts with the Veteran Power Sports & Equipment Pregame Show at 7 p.m. on True Country K 107.9.