Athletes all over Texas are being forced to pause their seasons in the face of Covid-19 per UIL instruction. During the suspension, the Wildcat baseball team is waiting to return to the field and finding ways to stay prepared to finish out their season. 

“I’ve been playing catch with my brothers pretty often,” senior Kade Dagley said. 

Dagley said he’s disappointed about the suspension because it’s his senior year. Especially with the promising season the team had last year, it’s hard not to be able to play, but he said the break might be good for them.

“Before the break, we weren’t playing our best baseball, so hopefully the break will turn things around,” Dagley said.

Sophomore Hudson Williams said he hates seeing the seniors miss their last high school baseball season, and missing out on his sophomore year is tough. 

“I have been working hard to get better, but the break isn’t the best thing since we can’t have team practices,” Williams said.

Williams said that baseball is something he loves and will do until he can’t anymore, but patience is key.

“Patience was stressed on me by my parents, and I think the longer I wait, the better athlete I will become,” he said.

Williams has been hitting baseballs and running every day to stay prepared.

“It’s part of the process, but I will be ready next year,” Williams said.

But the players aren’t the only ones staying prepared.

“I’ve been taking care of the field as if we would start back next week,” head-baseball coach Wayne Morris said. 

With Covid-19 currently changing the “norm,” games and practices aren’t available as an escape from stress anymore, so Coach Morris has found other ways to get away from the chaos.

“I also use working on the field as a way to escape from the realities going on around us,” Coach Morris said.

He predicts the team will need a little time to get back into motion if given the opportunity to return.

“Being away from the game as long as we have will definitely have an impact on the team because it will be like we were starting all over again,” Coach Morris said. “On the other hand, I think it would be great for everyone if we are able to start playing, because it will bring back some kind of normalcy for everyone.”

  Sophomore Ty Bates said that the only thing they can do at this point is just hope to get a chance to play ball together one last time with the seniors.

“Over the break I’ve been practicing baseball and started throwing the football just in case baseball comes to an end, so I’m prepared for either decision they make,” Bates said.

Bates said it’s tough not playing right now because there isn’t anything he loves more than taking the field with his “brothers.”

“My teammates and I are staying connected through our team group chats and trying to maintain the level that we were playing at before the suspension,” Bates said. “I just think it’s good that our athletes are continuing to work hard and not sit at home and get worse.”

Junior Jaxton Barrett agreed with Bates.

“It’s hard not to be with my team, but we just have to believe that everything happens for a reason,” Barrett said.

Coach Morris said the team overall is focusing on being positive and prepared for anything to happen.

“In history, our country has faced many tragedies, but sports have never failed to unite us,” Coach Morris said. “All we can do is hope that can happen again.”