Eastern football practices to start August 7

The season opener is just over a month away, and the Eastern Washington University football team will start preseason practices Wednesday, Aug. 7 at the EWU Sports and Recreation Center practice fields in Cheney.

Players will report Aug. 5 and 6, then the team will practice together on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. Eastern will practice in pads for the first time Saturday, Aug. 10 at 9 a.m., followed by the first of six days of two-a-day practices Aug. 12.

Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin, entering his sixth season at the helm and 10th overall at EWU, is excited to get back on the practice field.

“The best part about coaching to me is working with 18 to 23-year-old student-athletes and getting a chance to make an impact in their lives,” he said. “We get to watch them grow, and it’s fun to be a part of that process.”

The Eagles, who advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs in 2012 and have been to the playoffs in six of the last nine years, will scrimmage twice before the team’s season opener Aug. 31 at Oregon State.

Eastern’s first scrimmage of preseason camp will take place Saturday, Aug. 17 at approximately 9:45 a.m., and a second scrimmage will take place a week later Aug. 24, also at about 9:45 a.m.

“The culture and attitude that has been built over the years has grown to a new level,” Baldwin said. “We’ve had great players and leaders here before, but this group has learned from past teams and players on how to prepare in the offseason and what to do in the summer.”