Baseball Panthers Adapt to Online Environment

Zachary B. ‘20 (left), Wes B. ‘20 (middle), and Oliver M. ‘21 (right) put on their baseball shirts and caps at home to show their spirit on what would have been opening day. The varsity baseball team has to find new ways to train and stay connected during quarantine.

With spring sports canceled around the world due to COVID-19, the varsity baseball team has been maintaining team chemistry by holding weekly meetings, doing indoor exercises, and using apps where teammates can post and talk with each other. 

During their meetings, they reminisce about memories from previous seasons and predict the years to come. The squad loves to think back about the good times the seniors had and how great the captains would have been this year. 

Joe F. ‘22 puts on his Browning baseball hat to express his solidarity with all athletes whose seasons have been put on hold.

“The digital baseball meetings are really fun,” Joe F. ‘22 said. “They allow us to interact with each other and talk about past moments. My favorite memory is when I hit a double in the championship game during my freshman year. It was a special moment for me as it was my first year on the team.”

Some seniors are still able to find the positives after losing their last season. Many look back on the championship games they experienced.

“One memory I look back on was right after my first league championship,” Austin S. ‘20 said. “I got one of the seniors, Gianni C. ‘17, to sign my cap and I still cherish that memory to this day.”

Other seniors think about the great times they had on the bus to and from games. 

“My favorite bus memory was in my freshman year,” Wes B. ’20 said. “We were on the way to the championship game, and I was nervous. But there was this cool collectiveness about the team. Guys were playing music, cracking jokes, and having a good time. That attitude guided us to a win that day.

The coaches have also been able to find positive ways to keep the team together, especially from Coach Lauck Blake, who played baseball at Roanoke College and Castleton State.

“When looking back at my college baseball career, the one thing that got me into the starting lineup my senior year was improved arm strength,” Coach Blake said.

One workout he recommended to the players to improve their arm strength was wall-ball. 

“Wall ball is a simple workout where it doesn’t matter where you are. There is a wall near you that you should be throwing a ball at and catching the ball.” Coach Blake said. “I’d play wallball against a brick wall and stand in an empty parking lot just to strengthen my arm for the season.”

The team has also used an app called sportsYou that allows coaches and teammates to make posts that others can see. 

“One of the most crucial pieces to any successful team is good communication,” Athletics Director Andrew West ‘92 said. “In these uncertain times, it has been hard to communicate with one another. SportsYou has enabled the team to stay in contact with one another and share ideas and stories while not sharing personal cell phone numbers or other information.”

Coaches have been able to share highlights and funny videos of MLB players. Players have been able to show what they have been up to in quarantine and even post pictures of them in Browning baseball gear to show how much they miss the season. 

The spring season may have been lost, but the varsity baseball team has found a way to keep the fun and bonding alive.