A Season of Hope

Photo by: NouvelSports.com

Ben Clevenger ’21

Managing Editor

A Season of Hope

As Juniors and Seniors in High School during COVID, we have lost many “rites of passage”.  For me, the one that has hurt the most is the loss of my Junior baseball season. I know my loss is small compared to some of the loses that others have endured, but it means a lot to students my age. There are so many things we looked forward to all throughout high school and losing those things has really had a negative impact on our mental health.

My Sophomore season, our varsity baseball team lost in the state finals. It was a great run because no one had expected us to make it there. Last year, we had high hopes because we only lost five seniors and some of the key players from the state finals run were returning. Unfortunately, our season was paused right after tryouts with talk of only a delayed start. That start never happened. Everyone thought that the quarantine wouldn’t last very long and we’d be able to start baseball back up soon and get on with our normal lives. But, it lasted the rest of the school year which meant no baseball.

Since the start of this school year, my Senior year, it’s been nerve racking to watch the virus continue to impact other sports seasons. For example, the football and volleyball seasons were pushed back and shortened. Also, the state finals for both were postponed all the way to the beginning of January. Basketball and Hockey are still waiting to hear if there seasons can begin in February. Now, there is the same fear as last year that baseball might not happen. As of right now, the start of our season is on hold, as the State tries to squeeze a shortened Winter Sports season into the schedule, and schools navigate having to forfeit when a player tests positive.

The good news is that baseball is deemed a medium risk sport by the State of Michigan, this means that baseball is less of a risk than contact sports like football and hockey but still more of a risk than sports like golf and tennis.

I am very hopeful that we will be able to have a season this year. I’m hopeful because I long for that sense of normality in my life, during  a time that’s far from normal. This has been the longest I’ve been without playing baseball since I started playing as a kid. For many Senior athletes, including myself, this might be our last year to play competitively.

So, we hope. Hope for a season. Hope to compete. Hope we can play the sport we love.