Andy Bednar used the word “ridiculous.”

The Mars baseball coach wasn’t referring to the fact his team had to play two WPIAL playoff games in less than 24 hours this past week.

He wasn’t using that fact as an excuse for the Planets’ 8-2 Class 5A semifinal loss to Shaler. The Titans won that game soundly, but clearly had an advantage going in.

Shaler knocked off Gateway, 2-1, in a quarterfinal game that began at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Mars knocked off top-seed West Allegheny in 11 innings Tuesday in a game that started at 6:30 p.m.

Mars’ players got back in town around midnight. They got up, went to school, then boarded a bus to Pullman Park immediately afterward.

Doesn’t sound fair to me.

But Bednar’s use of the word “ridiculous” was merely in reference to the WPIAL scheduling teams for playoff games on back-to-back days at all.

And he’s right.

The WPIAL has nearly three weeks to get in four rounds of playoffs. Even with rain-outs figured in, there is no reason to force teams to play on consecutive days.

There is also no reason to play games at 1:30 p.m. on a school day. High school athletics are supposed to be extra-curricular activities, not instead of curricular activities.

PIAA districts in general can do a better job of serving their member schools than they do.

The WPIAL keeps its baseball and softball teams guessing as to what day their next playoff game will be, let alone the site and time. Yes, putting together sites can be a chore, but having a designated date for each round throughout a tournament can certainly be done.

District 10 put a baseball semifinal between Slippery Rock and Warren at Ainsworth Field in Erie. Not only did the district make the higher seed, Slippery Rock, travel farther, it is playing that game on an outfield that looks like a cow pasture before the cows even had a chance to get to it.

This kind of stuff seems to happen to high school baseball teams around here every year. There is no consistency to the schedule.

Here’s a thought: Start the high school spring baseball and softball schedules later. Rather than trying to begin the season in March — which around here is downright silly — start regular season games in mid-April.

Teams can play three games a week — including more Saturday games — which is what most teams are forced to do late in the season anyway, and in nicer weather conditions.

Starting the season later would also give athletes from winter sports a bit of a breather before they jump into the spring sports season.

Play the bulk of the regular season in May, not March and early April.

Makes sense to me.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle