Westminster High baseball players moving toward winter games in January 2021

A look at the newly-renovated Westminster High baseball field. (Photo courtesy Westminster baseball)

If all goes as planned, Westminster High School baseball players could be back on the field starting their winter schedule in January, 2021, according to Lions coach Craig Jones.

“We are expected to be a full go by January,” Jones said.

If county and state health officials give approval, Westminster would host Santa Margarita on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 at 10 a.m. in the first of the winter schedule which would be in preparation for the spring season scheduled to start March 19, 2021.

The Lions are also scheduled to compete in the MLK Tournament Jan. 16-18 with games against Kennedy, Sunny Hills and Troy.

Jones said that on Monday, Oct. 28, the Westminster baseball program has been given the approval to move into from phase 1 to phase 2 of the National High School Federation’s safety and health guidelines in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Phase 1 (which is in effect now) means no sharing equipment (two players can not touch the same baseball, so we can’t play catch or take defense unless the player who catches or fields the ball must put it in his bucket and that is only balls for him),” Jones said.

“Players couldn’t do any field maintenance cause of equipment sharing.  Phase 2 allows us to share equipment so we can have real practices. We have also been cleared to use the weight room on phase 2 with groups of nine players and one coach at a time. We have to sanitize weights after each kid uses them.

“Players still have to arrive in a mask and I have to take their temperature and log them in asking them Covid-type questions.  On Nov. 3rd we start hybrid on campus school divided in two teams for the student body.  Team one goes Tuesday and Wednesday and team two goes to school Thursday and Friday ….. so we are getting close.  I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Jones said players must maintain a six foot distance between each other at all times and “once I clear them at the entrance gate to the field they can remove their masks.”

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