HANCOCK COUNTY — In 22 years as a coach and nine as head baseball coach, New Palestine’s Shawn Lyons would normally enjoy the down time he typically gets this time of the year.
Not quite this time around.
New Palestine’s spring break officially started on Monday, but with Indiana schools closed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic since March 13, Lyons, like most coaches, is eager to get back to normalcy sooner rather than later.
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With schools originally closed until early April, the new target date for the Hoosier State to resume in-school learning has been pushed back even farther to May 1, which raises many questions with very few answers for high school spring sports.
“We’ve always been biting at the bit to get going on the first day of practice. Looking forward to it, and never had this kind of situation where we’ve been sidelined waiting on what we can’t predict,” Lyons said.
The first day of practice for softball was March 9. Baseball, boys golf and girls tennis were scheduled to start practicing on March 16. With student-athletes unable to utilize school facilities, preseason training has been left up to each individual.
Some are training alone, others in groups and others with travel teams that are still operating through the pandemic.
“I let them know, you’re out of sight, but you’re not out of mind. I try to stay in contact with them via text, emails and tweets, but you miss that camaraderie. You miss the chemistry that you develop,” Lyons said. “We still had 70 kids going out, and we still had to make some tough decisions, and that was put on hold. But, you really miss the every day interaction.”
Despite the unknown, the Hoosier Heritage Conference schools, which includes New Palestine, Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central, have been proactive. If the new restart date holds and the two-weeks of nationwide recommended self-quarantining eradicate the spread of the Coronavirus, then what was an eight-week season could be a two-to-three-week sprint.
Mt. Vernon athletic director Brandon Ecker and his colleagues have been in constant contact the past week, mapping out an agenda to maximize the potential of a shortened spring sports season.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association helped their cause last week by trimming their required 10-practice rule per student-athlete prior to the first competition down to five.
“We’ve gone back to the drawing board a couple of times already, but with things like track and golf, you play those as is with single-day conference events, but the big ones are how you’re going to get conference in for tennis, baseball and softball?,” Ecker said.
“We had a plan in place, but obviously, that got thrown for a loop when we got hit with the second delay. At the end of the day, our group of ADs all work really well, and we came up with a plan. If it comes to fruition, we’ll be ahead of the curve.”
The idea for both baseball and softball are doubleheaders three times in a week, beginning with conference teams. The HHC intended to get away from doubleheaders in baseball, but by reverting it could hypothetically give teams a chance to play at least 14 or more games before the postseason the week of May 25.
“We have to plan like we have a chance. There’s nothing solidified right now, but if May 1 is the first day back, then you’re looking at May 4 being back at school and the first day of practice. So, realistically, you’re looking at May 9,” Ecker said.
“It’s a lot easier to work with seven teams, then it is to work with 28. So, you have to look at minimizing and saying my focus is on conference first. Within the HHC, that’s our primary focus. What can we do to get our conference in and then what can we pepper in from there, if we have space?”
If the IHSAA doesn’t readjust its postseason calendar, which seems likely, then track would have time for two weeks of regular-season competition before the sectional for girls on May 26 and boys on May 28. The same goes for tennis.
“We need people to adhere to the guidance of the CDC and hopefully flatten that curve, we’ve all heard, maybe to the point of exhaustion, but if we can get the curve flattened and get people back to some sort of normalcy, then maybe we’ve got a shot at playing some spring sports,” Ecker said.
The IHSAA hasn’t made an official determination on the spring sports season, but if schools are out past May 1, then the percentages of cancellation increase.
In the meantime, coaches are putting trust in their student-athletes to be ready and continue working out as if the season will go on.
“We had a base with our pitchers. Some of them were up to 55 or 60 pitches, which is right where you want to be when you start pitching, and then you work on that base as the season goes on,” Lyons said.
“Baseball is a repetition sport, and without them repping it up every day in an intense environment where we can put pressure on them, their going to lose some of that.”
The lost one-on-one instruction and team building is the hardest part for veteran coaches such as Lyons.
“You live for this. You September and October you’re with them, and then you’re in the weight room in November and December, then you start working out and throwing baseballs in January, and you live for those kids. I miss that,” Lyons said. “You feel bad for the winter sport athletes. Our basketball team did a great job and won our sectional, and they don’t get to go to regional. You feel bad for them, but they did get to play 99 percent of their season, and we didn’t. That’s kind of difficult.”
If the season is cancelled, schools will be affected, but the greatest impact comes for the senior student-athletes. While some NCAA athletes and programs can offer their seniors a red-shirt season to extend their careers, high school competitors aren’t as fortunate.
“You feel bad for our seven seniors. You also feel bad for the parents because kids are resilient. But, the parents they got sweat equity in their son’s development with travel ball, practices and listening to them when they come home,” Lyons said. “That’s what you feel bad about, and you hope that it doesn’t get cancelled.”
To combat that possibility, Ecker plans to initiate a senior spotlight initiative on social media to promote Mt. Vernon student-athletes that might not compete. The goal of the initiative is to show the school’s and community’s appreciation for their talents, dedication and commitment.
“I look at it beyond the schools. I look at the impact it has on students first. That’s really where the impact is. For us, our soul mission is to give kids an opportunity to compete and learn life lessons,” Ecker said. “If that season is not something that takes place, we miss out on giving those seniors an opportunity to leave on their own terms.
“This way we can bring some attention to them and something positive while we’re waiting, especially with what we’re dealing with.”
