‘Play ball:' High school baseball, softball games start next week

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

Practice for Iowa high school baseball and softball teams started June 1, and games will begin next week, for what one local coach said will be a “fast and furious” season.

It’s one many didn’t think would even happen.

“I was shocked, in a good way, at first. As time went on, I thought there was like a 10 percent chance we would have a season,” acknowledged Brandon Burke, MFL MarMac’s head baseball coach.

“I was surprised, with everything else being delayed or canceled [due to the COVID-19 pandemic],” said MFL MarMac softball coach Jerald Kleve. “But, in Iowa, we’re unique in that we play summer softball and baseball. All other states, these are spring sports.”

“I’m glad the governor gave us an early heads up on this so the IGHSAU could have time to deal with it,” he added.  

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds gave the go-ahead for the seasons to proceed—with health measures in place—on May 20, two and a half weeks after practice would’ve originally started and just a week before most baseball and softball teams would’ve normally played their first games.

“I was ecstatic and started reaching out to my assistant coaches right away,” shared Clayton Ridge/Central baseball coach Zach Mueller. “Our excitement was dampened a bit as we started to think about the greater responsibilities we would have and what all we were going to be asked to do to keep our athletes safe, but our districts put together a solid plan and we are off to the races with some great safety measures in place.”

In the week and a half time frame between the announcement and the first practice, school districts, coaches and players received an extensive list of guidelines from the Iowa Departments of Education and Public Health, as well as the boys and girls athletic unions. 

Some of those guidelines included temperature checks of players prior to practices and games.  Players are asked to use their own batting helmet, bat, glove and catching equipment as much as possible. Coaches must sanitize shared equipment before and after each practice and game, and players and coaches are encouraged to use sanitizing wipes after contact with any shared equipment. Players must also bring their own water/beverage to consume. No shared drinking fountains, water stations or coolers may be used.

One of the trickiest guidelines to follow: maintaining social distancing between players. According to the athletic unions, “this means additional spacing between players while playing catch, changing drills so that players remain spaced out and no congregating of players while waiting to bat.”

No dugouts can be used during practice; players’ items should be lined up against a fence at least six feet apart. While dugouts are permitted during games, players are asked to spread out as much as possible unless they are actively participating in the game.

With 34 guys out for baseball and only two coaches, Burke said MFL MarMac tried to have everyone practice at the same time, but it was too much.

“We are splitting the practices into multiple groups to allow for all the guys to get more reps,” he said. “I really appreciate the older guys being flexible and willing to practice later at night.”

Central’s softball coach, Gerald Funk, said the team is taking a similar approach.

“We’re working in smaller groups for technique and drills,” he noted.

Despite the delayed start to the season, which also included the closure of school facilities and restrictions on in-person contact between players and coaches, the athletes have been fairly well-prepared.

“Players started pitching in the gym prior to the coronavirus shutdown and continued to throw as much as they could on their own during it,” Mueller said. 

“The players, to their credit, have been working out with their families up to this point,” Kleve added. 

While many of his players spent time throwing with teammates in the backyard, Burke said he worked on the field. He’s appreciative of Dave Corlett, Lary Walter, Sean Burke, Steve Haberichter, Erik Peterson, Loren Scherf, Fisk Farm and Home and Pat’s Electric for help and donations, which allowed for some major renovations to the baseball field and batting cages during the pandemic. 

“Since I couldn’t have the guys at school working on the field, these guys and businesses saved the day as we navigated this crazy pandemic,” said Burke.

Now, having roughly two weeks of practice before the first game isn’t ideal. Mueller said the War Eagles are trying to ramp things up a little quicker than usual, but also keep players healthy. 

“The biggest thing with the limited timeframe is going to be getting player arms ready, but not pushing too much too early,” he explained. “Some of our pitchers may be put on shorter limits in the first week of games than what we normally would do.”

The Central softball team is trying to practice more efficiently, to make the most of that time, stated coach Funk. 

“We’re taking things in stride, day by day,” he noted.

The baseball and softball regular seasons will be four weeks long and include a number of doubleheaders and few non-conference match-ups. 

Softball regionals will begin on July 13, and state is planned for July 27-31. The baseball postseason is set to begin on July 9, and state will run from July 24 through Aug. 1.

Burke said the MFL MarMac baseball team has prepared for years for a busier schedule, and feels the program is finally to a point where it can handle this amount of games in a short time. 

“We were hoping to have a busier schedule this year before COVID-19, and now the pandemic has forced us into a compact schedule,” he said. “It will be very important for new guys to step up for us if we are going to have the type of season we expect to have.”

Kleve is appreciative of the support and patience as teams work to navigate this unique season.

“We have a lot of guidelines to follow this year and we’re trying hard to get them right,” he said.

What can spectators expect?

Spectators will be allowed to attend baseball and softball games this summer. Per guidance from the Iowa Departments of Education and Public Health, they are asked to check their temperature at home before attending games. If a spectator has a temperature of 100.3 or above, they should not attend games.

Masks are not required, but spectators may wear them if they choose.

Schools are limiting the use of bleachers for fans. Instead, fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs or stand. Fans should practice social distancing between different household units and accept personal responsibility for public health guidelines.

No concession stands will be permitted at games.