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A silent June

College baseball players mourn the loss of the College World Series

By Ana Bellinghausen

With every Twitter refresh, millions of Americans were met with new cancellations in the sports world due to the international outbreak of COVID-19. 

At 8:21 a.m. on March 10, the floodgates of sports postponements and cancellations opened as soon as the Ivy League announced its cancellation of their men’s and women’s conference basketball tournament. 

What seemed like an outlandish thought soon became a reality in the ensuing days. The NBA, MLB, XFL, MLS, NHL and more eliminated or delayed their seasons leaving fans, athletes and coaches stunned. 

The NCAA followed suit with the nix of all winter and spring championships including March Madness and the College World Series. 

The reality is just setting in for athletes as their seasons are cut short, leaving no opportunity for title runs.

For the first time since 1947, college baseball will not crown a champion.

TD Ameritrade Park will remain dormant this June, following the cancellation of the College World Series. The magical two-week period in Omaha, Nebraska, will become just another hot and sunny 14 days in the Midwest.

What would be a roaring crowd of 20,000 fans, cotton candy and some baseball will not occur in 2020 due to the pandemic of COVID-19. All across the country, college baseball players feel the void already.

The reigning champions, the Vanderbilt Commodores, will not get a chance at a repeat CWS run. Harrison Ray, a senior infielder for the Dores, aches after his final season ended abruptly, he said.

“This was a real punch to the stomach for me,” Ray said. “For me, it wasn’t the chance at winning another championship, even though that’d be unbelievable. It was spending two to three more months with these younger guys on the team.”

No championship trophy will be hoisted in Omaha this year, and that is unsettling for Ray and his team.

“Knowing that there will be no Omaha is a tough pill to swallow,” Ray said. “Going for my first time last year and that entire experience is something I’ll never forget.”

The Michigan Wolverines won’t get a chance at sweet revenge after ending their 2019 Cinderella season with a runner-up trophy. The Wolverines fell short to the Commodores in Game 3 of the championship final.

“I put so much work in to get back to [the CWS] and eventually winning it all this time,” said Christan Bullock, Michigan’s senior outfielder. “Now, knowing there will be no baseball at all is just so confusing and is probably the last thing I thought would happen.”

In just a matter of minutes, seasons were cut short all across the world due to the pandemic.

“It was tough because it happened so quickly and we thought we would just play in front of no fans, but we found out quickly that we wouldn’t be playing at all,” Bullock said. “It’s still hard to believe right now.”

Different cities, mascots and team colors separate college baseball players, but one goal remains identical: Omaha’s CWS, a goal that will not be met by any team in 2020.

“I wish every player could experience [the CWS],” Ray said. “To know that there are guys out there that will never experience that event, I feel for them.”

Omaha will become eerily quiet this June, as the city and college baseball players mourn the loss of their beloved two weeks of pure baseball bliss.