SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va., – Cancellations due to COVID-19 made a March 8 game versus Lock Haven University in Wilson, N.C. the last Shepherd Rams baseball game of the 2020 season.
The baseball team that had just won a Sunday matinee by a score of 11-1 and swept the tournament, winning all four of the games they played in North Carolina. The team was sitting at 11-7 and had won 5 straight with 9 victories in their last 10.
“Our season was starting to really turn a corner,” senior pitcher Ryan Marketell said. “We were starting to put everything together and all aspects of the game improved.”
Just days after the Sunday victory, the Rams baseball team, as well as all other winter and spring sports, had their seasons cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
“Our coaches told us to sit in the dugout while they figured out what to say to us, they eventually told us our season was cancelled,” Marketell said. “I was in disbelief as for some reason it didn’t seem real.”
The NCAA has granted an extra year of eligibility to seniors who participated in spring sports.
Marketell explained how it is tough to stay prepared when nearly everything is closed and the main focus is on staying healthy.
“My schedule isn’t much different from many others as I’m staying inside most of the day, I’m doing my arm care routine daily which helps my arm and shoulders stay strong and healthy,” Marketell said. “As for more baseball related activities I can’t go and throw bullpens since there aren’t any facilities open.”