A Season in Quarantine
5/4/2020 3:40:00 PM | Baseball
KENT, OHIO- The 2020 Kent State baseball season was over before it ever really started. The Golden Flashes saw their season come to an end on Thursday, March 12th just 14 games into what was looking to be another promising season. The cancelation of the season has had a profound impact on every aspect of the Kent State program.
The Kent State coaching staff shouldered the unenviable task of delivering the fate of the season to the team. The Flashes were scheduled to head to Evanston, Illinois for a weekend series with the Northwestern Wildcats when the dominoes started to fall.
"We held a team meeting in the dugout to let them know of the decision not to go to Northwestern," head coach Jeff Duncan recalls. "We knew that not traveling was the right decision but had no idea that the season had come to an end."
Like most of the college athletics world, the staff found out about the cancellations in real time. First conference basketball tournaments, then the NCAA announced the cancelation of winter and spring championships. By six that evening, the Mid-American Conference announced the termination of all spring sports. In a mere five hours, the team went from simply not heading to Chicago to heading home for the season.
"We brought everyone back that evening for the toughest team meeting I've ever held," Duncan said. "It was very tough to even know what to say in a meeting like that, ultimately, our message to the team was to not take anything for granted."
With the season now officially over, the staff turned its attention to the future of the program, not an easy task with so much uncertainty.
"We meet daily as a staff, "Duncan said. "We have to try to prepare for the unknown, so we have 15-20 scenarios planned out, we have to be ready for anything."
The team has relied heavily on virtual meetings, Zoom and group me has allowed the team to stay together during the quarantine. The downtime has also allowed the coaches and players dissect each player's game using synergy and other video tools.
"If anything, we've become more efficient during this time, "coach Mike Birkbeck said. "We've been able to accomplish a lot using the tools we have at our disposal; the team will be better because of it."
The newest member of the Kent State staff, Barrett Serrato faces unique challenges as the team's recruiting coordinator. With no high school seasons being played and summer ball very much in doubt, Serrato has had to get creative on the recruiting trail.
"I am trying to watch as much film as I can of the players on our board," Serrato said. "I try to talk frequently with club and AAU coaches to help get a better understanding about players."
Serrato also works with the Kent State hitters, serving as the team's hitting coach. The time away from the game has allowed him to teach and focus on the mental side of things.
"I've encouraged everyone to read the book Heads Up Baseball," Serrato said. "Film is helpful but without a strong mental game, it can lead to over analyzation."
Arguably, the coach who has had their day-to-day role change the most is strength and conditioning coach Orie Sahlfeld. His role works with the student-athletes directly, teaching proper technique and working on injury recovery and prevention. He and his fellow strength and condition coaches collaborated to develop a plan that would work remotely.
"My life became writing workout packets, similar to when school is on break," Sahlfeld said. "We just tried to simplify everything, we relied a lot on isometric workouts and exercises that anyone can do with or without weights."
Push-ups and sprinting progressions are some things that Sahlfeld has recommended for every student athlete. The key is to focus on exercises that rely on quick bursts of energy as well as agility.
"Those are exercises that best simulate what their bodies will need to do when we get back to playing games," Sahlfeld said. "I've held virtual meetings with all my teams but have encouraged every one of my athletes to reach out to me to make sure that they're doing everything correctly."
While the coaches are using the expanded off-season to plan and to mentor, the players are left with a feeling of what could have been and a commitment to get better.
Ben Carew was on his way to another tremendous season. Carew was backing up an All-American season in 2019 by becoming one of the nation's leaders in doubles when the season came to a screeching halt. Once the initial shock of the cancelation wore off, Carew knew that the extra time would be a benefit to himself and the team.
"I took some time to reflect on how I wanted to challenge myself mentally and challenged my teammates to do the same," Carew said. "Everybody plays a role on a championship team, I wanted people to examine what they do to help the team and improve on it the best they can."
The outfielder notes that baseball is a fine line between doing too much and not doing enough. He is putting the final touches on a degree in business management and uses baseball as an escape from the monotony of a quarantine.
"I have a tee that I can get some swings off of, but that is more therapy and stress relief than anything," Carew said. "I am just trying to keep fresh and be as ready as I can be for the fall."
For fellow outfielder Cam Touchette, the end of the season came even sooner. The speedy outfielder was hit by a pitch the third game of the season. Tests later revealed a lower leg and ankle injury that would sideline him for much of the (then normal) season.
"I'm still in disbelief on how this all played out," Touchette said. "But it didn't change a lot for me, it's always been about getting healthy, watching video and taking as many mental reps as I can. I did splurge and buy a tee and a net so I can get some swings in once I am cleared."
Touchette is progressing through an altered workout/rehab program developed by coach Sahfeld. The junior college transfer is eligible for a medical redshirt, which aligns perfectly with his progression towards a criminal justice degree that already required a return to the classroom next year.
"Ultimately, I am just using to get fully healthy for the first time in a while and focus on my degree," Touchette said. "Eventually, I want to be a parole officer and help people, but for now I am focused on playing baseball for as long as I can."
For Carew and Touchette, their seasons came to a sudden and unexpected end. At least they had part of a season, the same can't be said for the 2020-21 freshman class. Calvin Bickerstaff and Jordan Stevens are just two of the thousands of high school athletes who never got a senior season.
For Stevens and Saint Edward's, the season got off to a normal start with indoor team training starting in February. That all changed on a fateful day in March, which started with a simple email stating that school would be shutting down and transitioning to online learning.
"It was crazy how fast everything moved," Stevens recalled. "One day we are getting our jerseys and the next we get an email stating that the school is closing down."
Calvin Bickerstaff and his Steubenville teammates shared a similar story and fate.
"We got two outdoor practices in before everything got shut down," Bickerstaff said. "Our coaches did a great job trying to keep things as normal as possible for as long as possible."
The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) followed the lead of professional sports and the NCAA, suspending play indefinitely and ultimately deciding to cancel the 2020 campaign. That left both Stevens and Bickerstaff without a season to get ready for the transition to college baseball.
"I try to stick to as close of a traditional schedule as possible," Bickerstaff said. "I throw every four days, run a lot, just try to stay ready and fresh for whatever comes next."
Pitchers have the advantage of being creatures of habit, sticking to a fairly rigid conditioning and throwing routine that doesn't alter much away from a traditional season. Position players have routines as well but have to get creative to put those routines into practice.
"I've been fortunate to find some empty fields to get some work in," Stephens said. "My dad has really helped a lot, allowing me to get swings in, play long toss, that kind of stuff."
The pandemic and the subsequent quarantine have affected the world and the world of sport at every level. Kent State coaches, players, recruits and staff join the thousands of other programs that are working diligently behind the scenes while preparing for the unknown.
One thing is for certain, they can't wait to get back onto the field. The rest of us can't wait to watch.
