By now, it’s no secret that the ripple effect of COVID-19 on the sports world has impacted athletes and coaches alike – and in an endless number of ways. Indiana Softball is certainly no exception.
The team’s unease seemed to escalate exponentially as IU headed to South Florida for its final non-conference weekend of the season. Before the Hoosiers could even take the field for their third game of the weekend on the afternoon of March 13, the NCAA announced the cancellation of all college athletic events for the 2020-21 year.
Nearly overnight, a season with massive potential quickly turned into a season that would never have the chance to be seen through.
“It didn’t seem real to me,” senior pitcher Emily Goodin said. “As we went on, things became more uncertain. It was probably the most emotional month of my life.”
The agony didn’t stop there. In fact, it had all just begun.
Indiana, along with everyone else in college athletics, waited 11 anxious days before finally getting an answer from the NCAA. On March 30, it became official: all spring season athletes would receive an additional year of eligibility, meaning all current IU seniors would have the option to return in 2021. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at a decision.
“It’s just a bonus,” senior right-fielder Gabbi Jenkins said. “We’re calling it the victory lap because there’s so much victory in that.”
In talking to Indiana’s senior class, it doesn’t take long to see how much the the program means to all four, a group that also includes infielder Katie Lacefield and catcher Bella Norton. What’s also clear is how fortunate the quartet is to be returning for a “victory lap” at all.
Though the NCAA permits another year of eligibility due to the coronavirus, some teams will simply be unable to financially support keeping their seniors around. As of April 28, of the 14 institutions in the Big Ten Conference, just five programs – Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Purdue – have officially announced that that they’re making the same promise to spring athletes.
“It’s more than we could ever know,” Jenkins said. “We’re thankful that they honor the student athlete like they say they do. It’s really a blessing to be led by people like Fred Glass and our coach.”
Post-graduate plans are obviously another crucial factor that have been considered, whether they’ve been amended due to the coronavirus, or the decision to play another year of softball. Though many athletes – including Norton – have had to adjust by postponing career opportunities, the group agrees that the wait is collectively worth being able to come back and have a true senior season together.
Jenkins, a student in IU’s School of Education, was already planning to stay in Bloomington this fall, in order to finish off graduation requirements and continue student teaching locally at Edgewood Primary.
“I’m grateful that I get to go back to Edgewood,” Jenkins said. “It will kind of be like working a full-time job and then running to practice after, but I am all for it.”
As everybody knows by now, the last six weeks of quarantine have presented ample amounts of free time, and with that time, the team is focused on staying sharp – whether it be hitting off of a tee in the front yard, or organizing synchronous workouts on Zoom.
But at the same time, it’s difficult to not look ahead and speculate about what could be in store when next spring finally arrives.
“At the end of the day, our main goal is to be sitting at a watch party, for postseason and getting in without being on the bubble,” Goodin said. “We’ve been talking about that a lot and we really think that’s something we can do next year.”
