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MCHS baseball players speak on COVID-19 shortened season




Montgomery Central baseball players take the field for a game against Clarksville on Monday, March 9 at Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field.BILL CLARK

Montgomery Central baseball players take the field for a game against Clarksville on Monday, March 9 at Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field.BILL CLARK

With the latest announcement from CMCSS that all spring sports will be put on hold at least until the beginning of May due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, several high school seniors are left wondering whether their careers have ended prematurely.

The season suspension affects hundreds of athletes in the county in several unique ways. For some, it may end their playing careers entirely since most high schoolers do not go on to play collegiate sports. For those that do, it takes away a valuable season of development and time to develop game tape for universities to use as recruiting material.

Among those seniors affected are Montgomery Central baseball players Joseph Baggett and Reagan Traylor.

Baggett is a third baseman, pitcher and catcher for the Indians and a lifelong baseball player.

“All in all I’m disappointed that my senior year means nothing due to the coronavirus,” he said in a statement to Main Street Clarksville. “I’ve played baseball since I was 4 years old. I thought I had one last season, but it just vanished before my eyes and there’s nothing I can do about it. 

“I’ve always been told when you struggle doing something, keep trying and don’t let anyone stop you. However, I can’t do that now, my final season of baseball is gone and now I just have to sit at home and do nothing.”

With no apparent plans to play ball beyond high school, he appears to fall into the first category of affected players, meaning his entire playing career may have been ended prematurely – a frustrating concept for anybody with a love for their game.

If the season is over, he will end the year 0-for-1 at the plate with 1.0 innings pitched, striking out one batter and allowing one run.

Additionally, Reagan Traylor, listed as a centerfielder, pitcher and catcher, reached out to Main Street Clarksville with a statement.

“With all of the madness of this virus and the decisions made by the school system and TSSAA, it has hurt deep down to not have a senior season as it is supposed to be one of the most memorable of your lifetime,” he said. “However, I am not lying dormant in this period as I’m preparing and conditioning to possibly play at the University of Kentucky for the upcoming four years.”

As he noted, Traylor plans on playing past high school and has lost a key season for potential schools to gain intel on his game. He hit .339 with a .500 on-base percentage as a junior. He has batted 2-for-4 with one run scored this season.

According to head coach Todd Dunn, the Indians expected to be competitive in District 10-AAA after going 9-16 last season thanks in part to the experience and veteran leadership that carried over from the 2019 squad.

As of the time of the statements, it is unclear if the season will resume at any point. The TSSAA has yet to cancel or postpone the Spring Field state championships, set for May 19-22 in Murfreesboro.

 

 

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