By Kelvin Butler
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all spring college sports have been cancelled and all athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility.
But still, especially in the junior colleges where most of the sophomores will still be transferring, these last seasons were cut extremely short. Several players share their feelings.
Delta College baseball players Andrew Gauthier (No. 24 outfielder) and Garrett Sheridan (No. 35 right-handed pitcher) were disappointed.
“It sucks,” says Gauthier. “We had a really really good team and could have made major noise. The whole team is devastated, but this setback will make us stronger in the long run.”
“It’s a frustrating feeling because we had a special group of guys and we’ve put in work since we came in August,” says Sheridan. “I think there’s two ways people can look at it. We either grew a lot and learned a lot to be even better next year, or you did all that work for nothing.”
“Upset,” says Halle Reed, Delta College softball player (No. 14, outfielder). “We were going to be so good this year and go so far. But we got back from Florida and had like two days of practice and then it just stopped and it’s canceled.”
Luckily, this season wasn’t the last for Sheridan, Reed and Gauthier, with them being freshmen or staying at Delta until they get their degrees.
But sadly for softball player Peyton Hubel (No. 23, utility), she will be transferring to Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) to continue studying occupational therapy. She’s undecided on whether they will continue to play softball.
“I think, as a team, we can all agree that not having this season is devastating,” says Hubel. “The unexpected ending took us all by surprise, especially since we were all so excited to see what we were going to accomplish.”
Softball player Lorraina Kelly (No. 12, outfielder) is a social work major who will be transferring to SVSU. She is undecided on whether she will continue to play the sport.
“What happened with this season is something I never thought I would experience,” says Kelly. “When I found out about the season, I couldn’t believe it; I actually still can’t. It hurt, and still does. We cried a lot. But at the end of the day, I know that it is for our best interest and everyone around us.”
