MEEKER | Twenty-nine kids were planning on playing Cowboy baseball this spring, and their season, just like all other sports seasons this spring from professional to high school, have been cut short.
CLARIFICATION: The Meeker School District understands that many of our student-athletes have chosen to self organize and continue to engage in sports-specific workouts. However, we also want to clarify any confusion for community members regarding the article in the March 26 edition of the Herald Times regarding the Meeker High School baseball team. There are no current extracurricular activities, including practices, endorsed by Meeker High School. Though many of our students have self-organized sports-specific workouts, which is beyond the control of the school district, it is critical to the school district that our community understands these activities are not organized or sponsored by Meeker High School. We have maintained compliance with the directives given by CHSAA and will continue to maintain this compliance.
“If the season resumes like it is currently scheduled we will have seven games remaining,” commented head coach Donald Blazon, “most of those will be league games, which is good for us.”
The Cowboys were able to get in one scrimmage on March seventh before the shutdown.
“It was a combined practice and we played 10 innings and most of the boys had four at-bats. We were able to take the JV plus two of the varsity starters, Colton Wille and Jose Garcia. The bats were a little flat but we got a good look at pitching, they were able to find the strike zone often and I think we uncovered a few new pitchers,” Blazon said.
The JV had scheduled 12 games this year, which was “promising to develop those players and getting them some time on the field,” commented Blazon.
For the seven seniors on the team, Wille, Garcia, Elijah Deming, Cole Rogers, Nick Massey, Tanner Ridgeway, and Andrew Cox, the 2019 season may have been the last time they were to play together as Cowboys if the season is not reissued. Most of these seniors have battled together since they were seven to eight years old, and were looking forward to a final spring baseball season.
“I was excited for the season,” said Blazon. “With 29 boys on the team it meant that each and every one of them was going to have to fight for a position, they were going to have to work hard, and it would have improved them as a team.”
The Colorado High School Activities Association has created a rule that during this time there is to be no contact between coaches and players, but Blazon is confident that the boys will be ready if the season is reissued. “Their arms will be conditioned and they will be in shape,” he commented.
“The boys have control of their attitude and effort,” said Blazon. “At this time when we have little control over what is happening they do have control over those two things, we talk about this in practice and this will guide them through this time.”
If the season resumes, the first game will be in Rifle, but stay tuned for further information.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK | Special to the Herald Times
