Fairbanks pitcher Jaeden Eickhoff delivers the ball to the plate. Whether Eickhoff and other high school senior athletes from around the state are permitted to compete this spring remains to be seen. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
In preparing to cover Thursday afternoon’s Fairbanks High School baseball game, the Journal-Tribune called Panther coach Josh Rine and asked who his starting pitcher was going to be.
RINE
WAIT!!!
WHAT???
WE’VE GOT A VIRUS!!!
IT’S A PANDEMIC!!!
ARE YOU CRAZY???
Relax folks, no such game was played.
The phone call actually occurred, but it was all done, unfortunately, in jest.
“Man, I wish I could answer that,” said Rine.
The 2020 high school baseball season, like that of other spring sports, is currently spinning its wheels in idle while the coronavirus sweeps the globe.
High school baseball teams began practice in late February before all the chaos struck.
All schools and extracurricular activities were shut down on March 17 by order of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
“We actually began working on Feb. 18 and had several practices and open gyms under our belts before this all happened,” said Rine. “Since then, we haven’t been able to have any contact with our teams.”
Rine is pretty certain members of his squad are working out on their own, but doesn’t know if there will be any benefits this spring.
“I’ve talked to some other coaches throughout the league (The Ohio Heritage Conference), but nobody knows whether we’ll be able to come back with an abbreviated schedule.”
DeWine originally ordered all schools throughout the state to be shuttered until the first of April.
That also put a halt to preseason practices for spring sports.
That timeline has come and gone as the governor extended school and related activity closures until May 1.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association offered a glimmer of hope on Thursday. Spring sports seasons will begin on Saturday, May 9, if the lockdown is lifted and schools resume classes.
Baseball and softball coaches know all about playing the waiting game when it comes to rain.
No one, however, has any experience dealing with the type of prolonged play stoppage that is being caused by the wide-spread illness.
The shutdown not only halted practices and early-season games, but also the Panthers’ annual spring break trip to Myrtle Beach.
For a number of years, the team has played games in that community at the Cal Ripken facility.
It costs approximately $3,000 each year to send the varsity team down south for a series of games. That money is generated by several team fund raisers.
“We had already paid for this year’s trip,” said Rine. “However, the folks in Myrtle Beach told us we can apply that money to our 2021 trip.”
Another big disappointment is the fact Rine figures to have a pretty solid ball club on his hands, if any type of season is conducted.
Veterans include pitcher-shortstop Jaeden Eickhoff, third-baseman-pitcher Alex Jones, pitcher-first baseman Weston Lorenz, pitcher-first baseman Braxton Wilhelm, pitcher-catcher John Pastryzk (all seniors) and junior pitcher-infielder Mason Cushman.
“I think this was going to be one of our better teams that we’ve had for several years,” said the veteran head coach, whose team went 18-9 a year ago. “It’s not like we were going to have a really dominant pitcher like Kyle Warner or Connor Pack, but we were going to be very consistent.
“We were also going to have a solid batting order from top to bottom.
“I feel badly for our kids, especially the seniors,” said Rine. “This was going to be the last hurrah for those guys in a Fairbanks uniform.”
Although coaches are not permitted face-to-face contact with their players, Rine has communicated with his team by various methods.
“I’ve talked to the guys a few times,” said Rine, who is an intervention specialist at Fairbanks High School. “It’s depressing for them, but they’re still doing all they can to stay prepared for any type of season.”
Every athlete has to work out on his own, since no one is permitted on school property during the shutdown.
“If any of us (teachers)want to even get back in our classrooms for any reason, we have to make an appointment and come in one at a time,” said Rine. “I understand why they’re doing it… they want to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.
“However, it would probably be easier right now to get into the White House than it would be to get into Fairbanks High School.”
Although there could be a light at the end of the tunnel with a shortened season, the 2020 campaign could still be scrapped altogether.
“Unless some type of miracle happens, I don’t see us playing a season,” said Rine.
That, the coach said, would put extra pressure on younger FHS players a year from now.
“If we don’t play this spring, a lot of guys who were going to play junior varsity ball or see some type of action in varsity games are going to lose out on that experience,” said Rine.
“We’re also losing five seniors this year, so some of those younger guys may get pushed into varsity starting jobs in 2021 without the benefit of ever playing a varsity game.”
That, however, won’t necessarily put the Panthers at a huge disadvantage as compared to 2021 rivals.
“It’s going to leave a lot of question marks if we don’t play this spring,” said Rine. “However, everyone across the state is in the same boat.
“It’s certainly not an ideal situation, but the kids need and want to play and we need to provide them with as many games as possible,” he said. “The kids who are self-motivated and have continued to work on their own through this unfortunate time period will have an advantage over the ones who didn’t do anything.
“I am hoping things change for the better very soon and our guys get an opportunity to compete and have some fun,” said Rine.