“You tell them all the time, ‘Play this game like it could be your last,’ and that happened for us during spring break.”
Those words from Bruce head coach Cody Brownlee relate to baseball teams across the nation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many seniors in our county, state and country, they have played their final game on the diamond due to these unforeseen circumstances.
For a select few teams across the state, they had the chance to defend a state championship in baseball this season, and Calhoun City was in that boat before the campaign’s untimely end.
“In some parts, we had a little closure because we won it last year,” Calhoun City head coach Josh Miller said. “If we didn’t have the success that we had last year, it would be more difficult than we could imagine.”
Calhoun City had four seniors on this year’s team, and while they have the hopes of playing at the next level, one senior, Hayden Goodson, is still unsure of his collegiate plans as he heads into the next chapter of his life. Goodson is hoping to walk on at either Northeast or Northwest Mississippi Community College.
“I’ve been thinking hard about what route to choose in college,” Goodson said, “and I never expected anything like this to happen. Definitely didn’t end the way it was supposed to, but my teammates and I will just have to overcome it.”
The seniors on City’s team all have hopes of playing at the next level, and Miller commented on his team’s work ethic as they strive for that goal this offseason.
“They’re in good spirits, and they’re still working hard,” Miller said. “All you can control is how hard you’re staying active and working out.”
Vardaman also had four seniors this season, one of whom saw very limited playing time in this short campaign due to injury. Conner Edmondson suffered a back injury at the end of the 2019 season and pitched in the Rams’ first game this year before being sidelined with the injury for what became the remainder of the season.
Even with all seniors experiencing heartache over losing their final season of play, Edmondson’s emotions come from a different place since he saw even less action than his classmates.
“I truly miss baseball practice, games, meetings and everything about it,” Edmondson said. “Having to miss a season of baseball is like losing your best friend, especially your senior season. I love the game of baseball, especially at Vardaman High School. We had a brotherhood, a bond that couldn’t be broken.”
Ram head coach Joshua Warren discussed what became the Rams’ final game of the year: a 5-3 loss to Smithville who won the 1A State Title last season.
“It’s tough because we faced a lot of adversity early with injuries, suspensions and weather, and I never put my best nine on the field,” Warren said. “That sucks, not knowing what could have been. The closest we did get to putting our best nine on the field, we lost 5-3 to the defending 1A State Champions.”
That night on the way home, Warren felt confident about his team moving forward.
“I had a lot of positive thoughts going back to Vardaman thinking that when I put my best nine on the field, we can play with anybody,” Warren said.
In Bruce, the Trojans had eight seniors on this year’s squad, and their head coach is sad mostly for that group as what could have been a special season was cut short.
“I understand [the cancellation] to try and slow the spread, but I hate it, especially for our eight seniors,” Brownlee said. “To be honest with you, I thought we had a chance to make a run this year. We had all the depth we needed and a lot of good pitching.”
The emotions aren’t just limited to the public school sector, however. Calhoun Academy’s seniors are grappling with the same issues as their season was cut short due to the pandemic as well.
“It’s a lot,” Calhoun Academy senior Kel Lovorn said. “I knew we were going to have a great year this season. I was very ready to take the field every week with my guys, but it all got cut short. It was in God’s plan, so I’ve just put my emotions towards what God has going on.”
Although his baseball career has ended, Lovorn’s career choice, at least for now, is centered on the sports realm. When asked what his plans were after graduation, Lovorn didn’t hold back.
“Go to Holmes Community College for sports administration, and later on in life, be an athletic director,” Lovorn said.
