Spencer Paterick ’21, co-editor in chief
Dutchmen Fall-Ball comes with new challenges.
Baseball is a sport known for having players spaced far apart, but this year the idea of distancing has a whole new meaning. While the term social distancing has become the norm since early March, the baseball team has embraced the idea in order to ensure the health of LVC as a whole.
“The baseball team has taken adversity in stride,” Daymond Zweizig, a senior right-handed pitcher and first baseman, said. “I don’t hear a lot of complaining about mask wearing or the distancing measures in place. Everybody is really happy to just be playing baseball and seeing everyone on campus. Leaders on our team have also done a great job of building up the young guys at practice and lift. I’m proud of how we are doing so far.”
The baseball team is following Head Coach Jonas Fester’s advice of wearing masks while on the field during both practice and team scrimmages. Not only is the team wearing masks, but it is also encouraging students and parents of players to watch team scrimmages via Instagram live in order to limit in-person contact at the field.
“I would say the biggest challenge concerning the COVID-19 restrictions is regarding team camaraderie,” Conor Smith, a sophomore middle infielder, said. “With social distancing guidelines and limited groups, it has been harder for our team to build strong relationships with one another like we have in the past. To deal with this adversity, our team has been trying to be very electronically vocal by reaching out via text and staying active in our team group chat.”
In order to maintain the safety of everyone on campus, athletes and students alike have had to make sacrifices outside of the classroom. Virtual communication methods such as Zoom and GroupMe have become the best way to communicate during the pandemic.
“One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced this fall is incorporating the freshmen into the existing team in the middle of a pandemic,” Zweizig said. “We can’t be as close or hangout in the ways we’d like, so we have to make an extra effort to reach out to teammates.”
Players and fans alike are hoping for a more normal spring season, but for now, students should continue to wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines that have been set forth by LVC and the community.