Editor’s Note: Becker Softball Coach Jason Baune issued the following letter to the MSHSL in regards to seasonal sports and activities suspensions and shutdowns.

With Minnesota schools closed and MSHSL spring sports and activities in a holding pattern, I have asked coaches, students, administrators and others to share their thoughts/plans/ideas/fears about our current situation. I am periodically posting the notes I receive. If you’d like to contribute, emails are welcome at jmillea@mshsl.org.

Hi John,

I appreciate you providing an outlet for athletes, coaches, and administrators to put some of my thoughts on paper (or computer screen).

As a softball coach, I’m feeling so many different emotions as we go through something that none of us could have ever imagined. Being a teacher and coach in Becker, this all became real for us last week as we cheered on our girls basketball team in their quest to reach their second straight state championship game. After watching our Bulldogs pull out a close victory over a feisty Alexandria team on Wednesday afternoon, I was sitting at home when my phone started buzzing with news of the last minute postponement of NBA games. This really got me thinking about covid-19 having an impact on our country, communities, schools, and teams.

As I arrived at Williams Arena on Thursday afternoon, they had announced that fans would not be allowed to attend championship games on Saturday. As the Bulldog offense caught fire and built a huge halftime lead, my phone continued to buzz with news of the NCAA tournaments and spring seasons being canceled. I sat in complete disbelief through the entire 2nd half of the Bulldog victory. It became obvious to me that this was going to have a big impact on our spring sports season.

By Friday morning it had been announced that there would be no championship rematch with DeLaSalle for our girls basketball team and deep down inside I feared that our softball season would be next. When I showed up for practice on Friday afternoon, it was clear that my team, and especially my seniors, had a sense of fear and disbelief. We talked about what was going on and about 10 minutes later, the news came that there would be no scrimmages or games until at least April 6th. To be honest, this seemed like good news. Yes, we would have to cancel our dome scrimmages. Yes, our season opening trip to Wisconsin Dells on April 3-4 was not going to happen. But our season wasn’t over! I pulled the girls back together and gave them the information. You could hear an audible sigh of relief from our seniors. They proceeded to have a great practice and began coming to me with ideas for how we could get reps without bringing in another school (including challenging our baseball team to a scrimmage!)

Then Sunday morning happened. As Governor Walz announced the school shutdown, I knew that once again we would be in limbo as we waited for more information. And that’s where I sit tonight, in limbo. My heart hoping that my seven seniors haven’t played their final high school softball game, but my head telling me that they likely have.

This is my 18th year as a head softball coach and this unimaginable sequence of events would be painful in any year, but this may be the toughest year of all. After finishing 20-7 and 4th in AAA state last year, our team returns eight starters and a whole group of talented underclassmen ready to play a larger role. Our girls cruised through an undefeated dome ball season. We have pitching depth that almost any team in any class would be jealous of, and a deep line-up of talented hitters. But more important than talent, this group of girls showed me last year that they are probably the most unselfish collection of student-athletes that I’ve ever coached. Despite all of the talent, I never dealt with players hanging their heads or parents complaining due to a lack of playing time or not getting to play their favorite position. They all want one thing, to play in Becker’s first ever state championship game. They are willing to sacrifice their own personal goals to get back to North Mankato and make another run at a championship.

I’ve watched what happened in China, Italy and across the globe. I’ve spent the past week watching all those same things happen in the United States. I spent last week helping 6th graders empty desks and prepare for the possibility of distance learning. I know this is so much bigger than high school sports. I know that this is an opportunity to teach my team about making sacrifices for the greater good and putting others before themselves.

However, as I sit here typing my thoughts, I keep coming back to one thought. This can’t be the end for my seven seniors, many of whom I started coaching when they were 12U players falling in love with softball. They deserve one more season of miserable indoor practices, laughter-filled bus rides, tough losses, and thrilling victories. They deserve one more chance at North Mankato.

Thanks again for letting me vent!

Jason Baune
Becker High School softball coach