No 2020 High School Baseball Season For Michigan
April 7, 2020
Interested in attending a PBR Michigan event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.
To view the commitment tracker, click here.
To view the uncommitted spotlights, click here.
No 2020 High School Baseball Season For Michigan
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has cancelled the 2020 spring sports season as well as the conclusion of winter sports.
It means no high school baseball season across the state this year, something that had not taken place in more than 75 years.
According to a press release, it marks the first school year the MHSAA will not have finals in multiple sports since 1942-43 when World War II led to the elimination of the finals in most sports.
But unlike that disaster, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt told baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to assure that baseball continued its summer domination of the country’s sports attention believing that baseball was “essential” to the country’s morale, that is not possible with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move came in compliance with the “state of disaster” directive by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to close school buildings and move education online for the remainder of the school year to help decrease the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are heartbroken to not be able to provide these opportunities for Michigan’s student-athletes, and especially seniors,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “We continue to hear from dozens asking us to hold out hope, but safety always must come first, and Governor Whitmer is making courageous decisions to safeguard the people of our state.
“We understand as much as anyone how much school sports mean to athletes and their communities. We had ideas and hopes for finishing winter and spring and helping bring some sort of normalcy after this long break, but this is the correct decision and we will play our part in bringing schools and communities together again when the time is right.
“For now, we cannot state strongly enough that all students, staff and others follow the guidelines established to slow the spread of the virus - we all must do our part.”
In the high school baseball world, it brings heartbreak to so many.
There will be no regular season.
No chance at winning a league title.
An opportunity to impress college scouts no longer exists.
A season playing with friends, in so many cases companions since childhood, will not take place.
And of course, no Final Four at Michigan State’s McLane Baseball Stadium come June 11-13.
Portage Northern, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Homer and Petersburg Summerfield will not have the possibility to defend a state championship.
SENIOR YEAR
“The most disappointing part about not being able to play this spring is not being able to see what this group of seniors can do and not being able to make the great memories that we have in the past,” explained Nolan McCarthy (pictured), who helped Portage Northern to last season’s Division I state championship.
For nearly all, being a senior is also when you are at the top of your game when it comes to high school athletics.
“I was really looking forward to my senior season because that is the season in high school that you are in your best shape, mentally and physically, giving you the best year so far,” pointed out Cameron Mallegg (pictured) of Grosse Pointe South. “I worked very hard leading up to this season with a ring in mind and now never knowing if that would have happened or not is hard.”
Nicholas Chittum, a Gross Ile senior committed to Eastern Michigan, is another filled with disappointment.
“The most disappointing part of not having a spring season is the experiences I miss being the senior leader,” said the fourth-rated player in Michigan’s 2020 class. “I would have been able to be around all of the awesome guys on our team, and I would have made memories that would have lasted a lifetime.”
The fact that it’s FINAL really hurts.
“The most disappointing part of not having a spring season is realizing that I already played my last game,” related Juan Jose Martinez Jr., a senior at Detroit Western International. “And I won't be able to showcase my talent to all the teams that we were supposed to play.”
You don’t have to be a senior to understand the heartbreak involved.
“The most disappointing part of not playing high school baseball is the fact that this year‘s team for us would have been one of the best we’ve had in awhile,” pointed out Avery Mona, a junior at U of D Jesuit. “We could have made a run for the Catholic League championship and gone far into the state playoffs.”
Another junior, Isaac Toole of Rockford - whose team lost to Portage Northern in last year’s Division I finals - echoes the thoughts of Mona.
“I’ve been training for four or five months getting ready for the season,” Toole said. “We had tryouts and the team was looking good. Then we got the news.”
COACHES
“I have 13 seniors, including my son Gannon (pictured),” explained Portage Northern head coach Chris Andrews (pictured) about the lost year. “It is terrible for them to lose their senior season, especially with all the work they had put in and the fact this could have been the best team I have ever had. Most disappointing is losing the comradery and relationships that develop during a season.”
Like Andrews, Matt Petry led his team - Orchard Lake St. Mary’s - to a state title in 2019 but will not have the opportunity to defend the Division 2 crown.
“The most disappointing thing about not having a season for me is not being around the guys all spring and not being able to see our seniors compete for a league and state championship for St. Mary's one more time,” noted Petry. “We were very excited about our 2020 season, with all the talent we had and all the hard work they've put in this offseason. It hurts not to see them compete this season.”
Dan Cimini has had his share of success at University Liggett, winning Division 3 state championships in 2014 and 2016 after claiming Division 4 titles in 2011 and 2013.
“This is so very hard on this 2020 senior class who is not going to be able to chase their dreams of possibly winning a state championship (regardless of sport),” pointed out Cimini.
Sadly, it is not just about on the field.
“These seniors will not graduate in the manner that they or their families have dreamed of,” Cimini added. “It is an unprecedented time for everyone.”
But the University of Liggett head coach is doing his best to try and make a positive out of the experience.
“I am just so proud of our state and country for banding together to BEAT this pandemic,” Cimini said. “I just know that we will ALL be stronger from this and that through adversity comes GREATNESS. We all have greatness in us ... and we will win this fight because that is what we all do ... WIN.
“Let’s all continue to chase our dreams because your dreams can never have bad endings.”
TOUGH JOB
In this unprecedented time, coaches are finding out the job entails more than just baseball.
“Throughout the hiatus, which for us began on March 12th, I've been calling each player once a week to check in on them and their families, as well as Zoom calls so they can get in front of each other and just be kids again,” Petry said. “When we got the news that the season was cancelled, we had another Zoom call-in which the coaches spoke to the team. We all thanked our seniors for their contributions to the program and allowed the seniors to address the team.
“It was difficult for everyone involved, listening to the seniors talk about what St. Mary's and the baseball program has meant to them.”
Cimini shared a letter he sent to his team and family after the decision to cancel the season was made.
“This is obviously not the news we all were hoping for, but considering what our state and country is going through it was the right decision,” the University of Liggett head coach said. “I have had time to accept the fact that we might not have a baseball season … I have been hanging on to the chance that we might be able to slow this curve of the coronavirus and get back to some normalcy, but these are unprecedented times and we have to continue to do whatever we can to keep each other and our families safe.
“I want to thank my players for working so hard this off season to get ready for our run at another CHSL and state championship. I want to thank my coaching staff for all their hard work to get you boys ready. Thank you to all the parents and families who supported us and were ready to go down to Florida and have a BLAST.”
It has been tough on others as well, like PBR Michigan Scouting Director Aaron Wilson.
“The high school season being cancelled is heartbreaking for ballplayers who have trained all winter and look forward to the season each year,” Wilson said. “However, the most important thing is health at this juncture. When sports activities resume, recruiting will be amplified on a major level. Coaches have already reached out and being seen will be vital.”
EXPOSURE LOST
“I think it definitely has hindered my recruitment,” pointed out Grand Rapids Christian’s Sam Lisiak (pictured), the fifth-rated junior catcher in the 2021 class. “I definitely would have had schools come out to see me. So now, I’m trying to send videos out and trying to keep my recruitment going.”
Mona agrees that no high school games means fewer opportunities to put on a show for anyone looking on from the next level.
“In my eyes this hurts my recruitment because no college coach is able to come and watch me play and show my talent, especially for some of the schools I would love to play for.” the U of D Jesuit junior noted.
Fortunately for players like Lisiak and Mona, there is some time with both being juniors. But for others, like Martinez, time is running short.
“Having no spring season really hurts the recruiting process because I cannot be seen by any scouts,” related the Detroit Western International senior, who has now decided to walk on at Michigan. “It denies me the chance of earning any scholarship or opportunity to play at the next level (next season). This is the reason why I always give 110 percent in everything I do because you never know when everything can be taken away from you.”
Some seniors, like Chittum, have major league draft aspirations. But the 6-2, 194-pounder sees little repercussion from no season.
“This downtime, I don't think, will have any effect on my draft potential,” said the 90th-rated 2020 right-handed pitcher in the country. “I know that if I do what I know I can do on my own when no one is watching, that I'll be getting that call whenever they decide the draft is being held.”
WORKING OUT
“I have been doing the best I can with workouts doing as much as I can in my basement,” Chitum noted. “I have only been able to throw plyos against the wall and do throwing drills that way, which is frustrating, but I’m getting in what I can. This down time is about using what I have and making the most out of it.”
Said McCarthy: “I’ve been going out to the field with my dad and getting ground balls, hitting and running daily. We also made a squat rack out of wood from Home Depot and I’ve been trying to get stronger as well.”
Mona also went to the store to make an acquisition.
“I purchased a net and placed it in my backyard and I’ve been working on my pitches, doing the driveline weighted balls, and throwing weekly bullpens,” explained the sixth-ranked uncommitted 2021 in Michigan. “For working out, we have dumbbells that I’ve been using just to put extra weight on, and I’ve been doing some body weight exercises.”
Admittedly, it is not the same as organized workouts at the schools.
“I have a net in my backyard that I can hit into which I have practically been living at for the past three weeks, along with a tall piece of plywood leaned up against a tree to throw weighted balls at,” Mallegg said. “That’s starting to see its wear and tear (haha).
“I have also been running around the block and riding my bike as well as using free weights and anything else in the house or backyard to mimic the usual lifts I would do at a gym.”
Dedication is the key.
“For the past four years I have been going to 2SP Sports Performance six days a week in the fall and winter.” Martinez said. “It’s been a tremendous help in my overall game because the trainers there helped me get faster, bigger and stronger.
“But now with the coronavirus spreading and there's no baseball season, life is really testing me to see how bad I want to play college baseball. That’s why I’ve been hitting off the tee in my yard everyday while working on double play flips and incorporating cardio and band work to keep myself in shape.”
A LOT TO LEARN
While the season has officially been cancelled, life lessons have and are still being absorbed. Although not taking place in a team atmosphere with wins and losses, camaraderie developed as school teammates has remained even while being at home during the pandemic.
“I’ve learned that you never really understand how much you appreciate all of the dudes you play with until you can't share a field with them anymore,” Chittum admitted.
Mallegg, the 16th-rated senior in Michigan, agrees.
“I’ve learned that my teammates have a very strong supportive bond with me and each other and not being able to play has had a huge impact on each and every one of them, showing their love for the game and each other,” the Butler commit said.
The love for the game, as it turns out, is even stronger than previously believed.
“I never thought about how much I would miss baseball if it were ever taken away from me,” Chittum said. “I see this, and I’m just thankful that I have the opportunity to go on to the next level of play.”
But it has not been easy.
“While knowing how competitive I really am, not being able to play this season proved that to me,” Mallegg related. “I love to compete and having to wait even longer to be able to is very hard.”
With so much time at home, there has certainly been time to reflect on the game.
“I’ve learned that baseball means much more to me than I had thought because this is the first spring I haven’t had it,” said McCarthy, the seventh-rated 2020 in the state. “I no longer get to play the game I love and I don’t get to play with my friends on a daily basis.”
LASTING REGRETS
For decades, athletes have been told time and again no regrets. Do everything you can and never look back saying if only …
Unfortunately, that is not the case with the 2020 class.
“Being a senior, this year is much harder because as a kid your senior year is put on a pedestal in your mind for many reasons,” Mallegg (pictured) explained. “Not being able to live out the big things you look forward to is tough.”
That is the case all across the state.
“Being a senior, I know that I will never step on the Grosse Ile baseball field ever again to compete as a player,” Chittum pointed out. “I know that I will never again be under the coaching of coach Mario Garza, who has been a major part of molding me into who I have become over these past four years.”
The thought of what might have been will be hard to ignore.
“Being a senior makes this situation much worse because this would have been my last season in high school and I really would have liked to have that closure and fight for a ring one last time,” said McCarthy, a Kentucky commit.
Coaches understand the difficulty of it all better than most.
”My heart breaks for you all,” Cimini said in his letter to the University Liggett seniors. “Not just because of the situation we all are in (that goes without saying), but because you are not going to be able to chase that DREAM of winning a state championship that you ALL wanted so bad this year.
“Your dedication to this program and to your teammates is something you all can cherish and be damn proud of. You do NOT need a State Championship to be winners. You all are Champions to me and I love you all so very much.”
Even in the tough times that these seniors are going through, there has developed an understanding of what this all means.
“When I do get back on the field I won’t take it for granted because as we all know now, it can be taken from us in an instant,” McCarthy said.
Perhaps Mallegg best summarized the feeling of all.
“This is definitely a test for everyone but in the end, this too shall pass.”
** WWII graphic is from this blog entry **