sportstyle

sportstyle • sportstylemag.com I n the Spring of 2020, if you didn't know otherwise you would have thought that baseball and fast-pitch softball teams, even the amateurs, were on strike. Diamonds were deserted. Dugouts sat vacant and bleachers were empty. Concession stands shuttered — not a hot dog vendor to be found. Nobody was seen rounding third and heading for home. And, worst of all, team dealers sat in their offices twiddling their thumbs. Well, they may have been busy fielding cancelled orders and communicating with equally idle vendors. It was not a pretty picture. Heck, even the umpires were missed. Fast forward to Spring 2021 and the picture was much prettier as the sports of baseball and fast-pitch softball found a way to co-exist and, in some cases, thrive during this new normal. And, yes, even the hot dog vendors were back in many parts of the country. The games of baseball and fast-pitch softball had come back to life and team dealers were kick-started back into gear. It maybe wasn't high gear, but the diamonds once again shined after months of uncertainty. Walk. Then Run Of course, this progress was better in some states than in others. "Given the nature of the pandemic, the fact that high school baseball returned in some capacity was a win for the game, the players and the coaches," says Elliot Hopkins, director of sports, sanctioning and student services for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). "We look forward to a more robust return of high school baseball in the spring of 2022," he adds. "Baseball will make a complete comeback." This past spring, the high school fast-pitch softball landscape was best described as uncer- tain, but at least state associations and their member schools remained committed to making the best out of a bad situation, according to Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports, sanc- tioning and student services. "State associations worked hard to comply with a landscape that was constantly changing," says Searcy. "They were innovative, creative and detailed in their planning to conduct a season and tournament series competitions." It helped that NFHS has provided these state associations with general and sport-specific guidance relative to possible rule modifications to help navigate their seasons and that the NFHS decided not to make any rules changes either to girls' fast-pitch softball for the 2020-21 school year. "After the cancellation of high school fast- pitch softball last spring, it was refreshing to see girls get back on the diamond to do what they love to do," Searcy continues. "While there were a number of postponements due to COVID this year, we were able to start and finish sea- sons around the country. Fast-pitch softball is back and participation will only improve next year. That is great news for schools, softball student-athletes and coaches." An Improved Outlook That news differs around the country, but the outlook is overwhelmingly positive among team dealers. In Massachusetts, the 2021 baseball and softball landscape is certainly an improvement over the Spring 2020 — but it was far from ideal. "We played baseball and softball up here in Massachusetts at the high school and rec level this spring, but there weren't as many kids playing sports as in the past, especially in rec ball," reports Betsy Frey, owner of Holyoke Sporting Goods in Holyoke, MA. "Overall, I think we only had 40 percent partici- pation, compared to the past," she adds, pointing out that one of her recreational baseball leagues that normally has at least 25 teams fielded only 10 this year for a rec season that normally starts in April but was delayed until May. SHINE ON AGAIN! • TEAM: BASEBALL/SOFTBALL 54 • September 2021

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