Javelinas put their best foot forward as they face virus
A common theme as of late, due to COVID-19, the trip to the Houston Winter Invitational this week was cancelled for TAMUK men’s baseball team.
After the abrupt end to the 2020 campaign, Head Coach Jason Gonzales and the Javelinas looked to start fresh and get going in the three games originally scheduled with eyes set on a trip back to the NCAA Division II College World Series, but COVID still is having an impact on sports and the world in general despite the new year.
“I feel pretty pissed because we were ready, we had been working for this and after the last practice we were supposed to leave at seven in the morning for Houston but it got canceled on us so it’s pretty up- setting,” Aldo Buendia, senior shortstop for the Javelinas, said.
The three games against The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Arkansas Tech, and Central Missouri were set to take place Jan. 29 to 31, kicking off the shortened 36 conference matchups starting with the first three-game set against Cameron on Feb. 5-7.
“We are supposed to go to Oklahoma but with all that happened with Houston it’s been kind of a disappointing start, but we start COVID testing on Monday, so we just hope we all come back negative and will be able to go to Oklahoma,” John Mike, pitcher, said.
The postseason is still set to begin on May 7, the first week of the LSC Tournament all the way until May 28 at which time the South Central Super Region will take place. The Division II College World Series is scheduled to take place on June 5 in Cary, N.C., at the USE Baseball Na- tional Training Complex at which the Javelinas look to make a second appearance in the last three seasons.
COVID has given all teams at TAMUK a different feel as every season has been impacted.
This year, teams can expect regular season games to be few. In a spring season in which football is scheduled to only play three games this year and with baseball holding less than 40, the regular season schedule is expected to kick off on time, ready to give Kingsville baseball fans another season to look forward to, and hope- fully, ending with the Javelinas baseball team hoisting a championship trophy solidifying them across the nation.