By NICK FIERRO - EPCC baseball is finally making its return in the 2022 spring semester, after the cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 spring seasons due to COVID-19. After working hard day in and day out, it was tough for me and my teammates to sit out for two seasons and try to figure out what are next move was going to be.
Many of our initial plans before the pandemic, was to play at least 2 years at EPCC and to receive a scholarship at a university to continue our baseball careers. Many players from the 2020 and 2021 spring teams moved on to other schools to attend and play, and some including myself decided to stay and play one more year at EPCC for the 2022 season.
The cancellation of the 2020 season did not have the same devastating effect as it did in 2021. In 2020, it was more of a shock and panic as far as not knowing what would happen next. We were not prepared for anything like this.
I remember the time coach Soucy had a meeting with all of us going over the cancelled season, I looked around seeing people with their heads down and a concerned facial expression the whole meeting. It really did suck getting the news about our season being cancelled, but it was all apart of the process.
In 2021, it was a roller coaster of emotions. We were all working hard in the fall of 2020 while being hopeful to have a season, then we were informed about the season being cancelled which hurt even more.
At that point, there was little hope of the Tejanos getting back to the field again. But we stayed calm knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel. “When I heard about the 2021 season getting cancelled ,of course I was upset at first but I immediately saw the positive side being that it gave me a full year to better myself both pitching wise and in the weight room”, says EPCC baseball player, Garrett Calderon.
Calderon also states that the cancellation helped him mentally as well, by appreciating the game more and being grateful. “Mentally it taught me that taking things for granted can be taken away from you at any moment, so you have to appreciate everything that we have in our life!”
I can relate to Garrett’s comments because everyday before the pandemic we had the opportunity to workout and play baseball, but the cancellations gave us a lot of time to time to do some soul searching and it made us miss the game tremendously. But it helped us appreciate the game even more and other things in life, not just baseball. Cherishing the moment can go a long way in the process of life.
This fall of 2021 was the first time we stepped back onto the field as team since the spring of 2020 and we were all beyond grateful for the opportunity. The spring 2022 season is right around the corner and we are preparing every week for it.