By Casey Vincent, contributing writer, St. Bonaventure baseball
When the Atlantic 10 made the decision to cancel all spring athletic seasons, one of the hardest things to deal with was that no one knew it was going to be our last game. Some of the guys on the team were having great starts to the year. It just leaves me wondering what the season could have been.
No one knew that the Western Michigan game was going to be our last chance to put on a St. Bonaventure uniform. Others on the team were coming back from injuries, so the thought of all that time and hard work to get back to a level just stings a little bit. The cancellation of all athletic seasons doesn’t just impact seniors. Brendyn Stillman and Tyler Kelder, who were having breakout seasons, might have just lost a season as well, and a chance to showcase themselves to scouts.
I understand the thought of taking precautions and not taking any risks when it comes to the health of the players and students. Part of me wishes they would have waited a couple of weeks and allowed the situation to unfold a little before they made such a huge decision that ended the careers of many. Athletes of all spring sports were impacted by this decision. Parents of the seniors are not to be forgotten as well.
Many of the parents traveled to games and I am sure they did not realize that they were watching their kid play for the last time.
I am interested to see how the NCAA handles the situation as it progresses. If nothing comes from it, I want to thank the university, Coach Larry Sudbrook and Coach B.J. Salerno for giving me the opportunity to play baseball at the collegiate level. They taught me many life lessons that I will be able to carry with me for the rest of my life.
And to my fellow senior teammates, it was an amazing experience these past few years and I am sure we would all do anything just to have one more game.
vincenca14@bonaventure.edu
