Beckman baseball players, like others, hold out hope their seasons can eventually resume

Beckman’s baseball team poses for a picture after winning the Chino Tournament in February. (Photo courtesy Beckman baseball)

Beckman baseball coach Kevin Lavalle addressed his players Friday during a break from his classroom duties not knowing whether it would be the last time he met with them this season.

Athletics were suspended indefinitely at Beckman and throughout the state.

Tuesday afternoon, there was an announcement from the CIF State Office, but the statement did not offer any assurances that the season would resume. Instead, a decision was postponed leaving the fate of the Beckman team and others who play spring sports, up in the air. There was no mention about CIF playoffs either.

“Most coaches and I’ve talked to a lot of them over the past week or so, it’s all gone from denial, to being upset and then realizing there’s nobody to be upset about to now, kind of accepting the fate, whatever that may be,” Lavalle said. “What I told my seniors was that I hope my loss of words is enough because I don’t know what to say.

“Nobody obviously could have predicted something like this and you feel so bad for them. Every year I’ve ever coached, we’ve always played a full season and in Southern California we don’t even lose games because of rain. So it’s just unchartered territory for everybody. I know we’re all hoping for the best but I had to personally stay off Twitter and Facebook because you read one tweet and you get this ray of hope and then you read another one and you’re kind of back in the doomsday scenerio.

“We’ve been on spring break this week and the original plan was to go back to school on Monday and that’s not happening. Even if our school district said they want everybody back to school Monday, I don’t think anybody would show up. Sometimes it takes a punch in the face for everybody to accept the reality of the situation. It’s hard, I’ve been on lockdown for five days and I’m running out of things to do here. There are no sports on TV and even if sports were taking place right now, who would go?

“I think that after the weekend, people really saw this as something we all have to do and around here the last two days it’s been real quiet.”

Beckman, after losing its first two games, has won six in a row, including a 5-3 victory over Portola in the Pacific Coast League opener on Friday, March 6. It was the only league game the Patriots have played. The Tuesday, March 10 game with Irvine was postponed because of rain, then the rest of the schedule postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Center fielder Nick McLain, a junior, is batting .435 with 10 hits, four doubles and one home run. On the mound, he has four saves. and a 0.00 ERA.

The other top players have been having great senior seasons.

First baseman Cooper Munro leads the team with five RBI. Designated hitter Mick Hyodo, who also plays third base, is batting .333 with a double and a triple and left handed pitcher Tristan Dupont is 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA.

Hyodo said the players are holding out hope that the season will continue.

“We’re obviously pretty bummed, not just us, but all the spring sports around Orange County, but I get their decision,” said Hyodo, a senior. “Obviously our health is the first priority. We’re obviously pretty shocked about that, but we’re just trying to take it one day at a time.”

Hyodo said Lavalle tried to encourage the players last week.

“He said to stay as healthy as possible,” Hyodo said. “He said ‘stay inside and stay healthy.’

“We’re all trying to stay optimistic and positive. We obviously don’t want to think that this is the way it’s going to end. We’re trying to stick together as one team and as a group.”

Hyodo said a return to baseball would mean a lot for the seniors.

“Any way, that would be big, to play one last time with all of our best friends, that would be a huge deal for all of us,” he said.

Hyodo said the players are trying to stay away from gyms to avoid contracting the disease, “working out at home and at the same time, stay sharp as much as possible if there is possibility the season will come back.

“I think we’re all still a little shocked because something like this hasn’t happened to us, but we’re all trying to take it one day at a time and stay positive so we can all stay safe.”

In the meantime, Hyodo said he’s playing a lot of video games.

No one really knows for sure what will happen. Beckman is out to capture its third consecutive PCL title, but at this point, Lavalle said he isn’t thinking about that. He just wants his seniors to get another chance to play.

“I would love to have it back, but at this point, though, if somebody said in May you can start practicing again with your team, I would take that right now,” Lavalle said. “I think more than the thought of the CIF playoffs, I think what everybody would want to do right now is just go out and play baseball, whether it’s my varsity team against my JV team, that, I think, would be healthy for everybody now. But I get the feeling now we’re not even through the thick of it yet.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com

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