VIDEO: Cape Central softball team celebrates new lights with midnight practice

(function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-video" data-allowfullscreen="1" data-href=""><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite=""><a href=""></a><p>High school sports officially got underway in Missouri today with the first practices for fall sports. The Cape Central softball team wasted little time in getting on the field, starting practice at midnight to celebrate the new lights installed at the Tigers&#039; field. Here&#039;s video from Central&#039;s early-morning practice:</p>Posted by <a href="">semoball.com</a> on Monday, August 3, 2015</blockquote></div></div>

Cape Central's softball team gets ready for a midnight practice in the headlights of a truck, Monday, Aug. 3, 2015. The practice marks the first time using the newly installed lights for the field. (Glenn Landberg)

Central softball players gathered near the home dugout on the third-base line of their field in the waning hours Sunday night.

There was no light except for the the little coming from cars pulling into the gravel parking lot and some coming from the nearby school.

That all changed at midnight when new lights on the field were switched on for the team's first practice of the season, which elicited cheers from the group of players.

High school fall sports practices officially began Monday, and Tigers coach Amy Blattel chose the unconventional practice hours of midnight-2 a.m. since it was the first time her players would get a chance to see the lights and she wanted them to be able to celebrate the occasion.

Cape Central softball coach Amy Blattel talks with the team before a midnight practice Monday, Aug. 3, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)

"I don't want us to ever take for granted the facilities that we have," Blattel told the players before beginning practice. "It took us over 10 years to get these lights and we're going to enjoy every moment of them."

"The other aspect was to get used to the lights, and I don't think there's any better way than to come out here, at midnight and start a brand new season and begin a brand new tradition," Blattel proceeded to tell her team. "We're going to work hard. We're going to sprint everywhere we go. We're going to have positive attitudes. We're going to encourage each other. We're going to push each other, and you're going to push yourselves beyond what you think you're capable of doing. That's what this season is going to be about. If you do that every single day that you're out on this field, we will bring home a district championship. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. The only thing that matters is what we think and what we do."

New stadium lights shine over a midnight practice at the softball field at Cape Central High School Monday, Aug. 3, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)

The lights for the softball field and baseball field at Central, as well as a resurfaced track and tennis courts, were funded by a $20 million bond extension that was approved by voters in April. The bond also will fund several other projects within the school district.

"We are very, very grateful to our community for that," Blattel said.

The Tigers, who finished last season 11-16, have a few reasons that the new lighting is important to the program.

"It's really going to benefit our JV program because with the lights we can get more innings in," Blattel said. "Prior to the lights our JV would only get about three innings in each night, so now we can complete those games and get the whole seven in. Plus we'll be able to host districts more often."

Central was slated to return to the field at 6 p.m. Monday for its second practice of the day and senior Brooke Anderson joked that she'd had to nap Sunday during the day to prepare for the team's first workouts.

Madison Daum returns after graduating last year to help with the first Cape Central softball practice of the season at midnight on Monday, Aug. 3, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)

"I'm going to be tired," Anderson said with a laugh of her first reaction to finding out practice would be at midnight. "But I knew it'd be a fun experience and a good tradition to start, getting out here early and just kind of celebrating the opening of tryouts at midnight -- as soon as we can."

The Tigers wrapped up their two-hour early-morning practice with doughnuts.

"It's exciting," Blattel said of starting practices, "and I think being out here at midnight adds a little bit to that and kind of gives us a little rejuvenation, so I'm real excited."