Baseball following suit with SDHSAA

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Baseball in the state is following suit with the South Dakota High School Activities Association, postponing all activities through at least May 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re going to follow exactly what the SDHSAA does,” said Brookings coach Ryan Bauer. “When they say spring sports are canceled, then we will cancel ours I’m assuming, as well. I get calls every day asking what the deal is. We’re partners with the SDHSAA – we always have been and we always will be and those are the rules we follow.”

Should play resume in May, the season would not be prolonged.

“We would do an abbreviated season for both Class A and Class B but we will not go past the original state tourney dates that we had, just because that would affect summer baseball,” added Bauer.

It would likely mean a 10-12-game schedule leading up to the state tournaments in Sioux Falls – Class A is Saturday, May 23, and Class B is Monday, May 25-Tuesday, May 26.

The Bobcats originally had around 30 games on their schedule.

They were supposed to open the season Saturday taking on a pair of Fargo, N.D., teams at the Border Battle in Sioux Falls.

For now, it’s another waiting game.

“For baseball, the players not in winter sports spent all season training, so for that to come to an end is really disappointing,” Bauer noted. “We have a lot of people that have worked really hard and spent a lot of time training since their last sport – it’s very disappointing but I think everyone has come to the realization of where we are and, you know, the new norm. Kids not going to school in mid-March – we’re looking at a six-month long summer.”

Bauer said he thought his squad was staying active during the dead period.

“We got the cage up last week so I know there are some kids going when it’s nice out – meeting up in small groups and doing some batting practice and playing catch and things,” he added. “I mean, baseball in Brookings has always been about starting in the spring and ending in the summer. It’s not like some other communities that have a totally separate program between their high school and their summer baseball. Ours is just kind of one big one – it always has been and it always will be, as long as I’m here anyway. The coaches may change but the players are not going to.”