‘Get your wins quick.’ UK softball, baseball set to begin seasons amid pandemic.
Nearly a calendar year since they last took the field, the University of Kentucky softball and baseball teams are on the doorstep of Opening Day.
The softball Wildcats open the 2021 season with three games in the Samford Invitational in Birmingham, Ala., beginning Friday at 5 p.m. UK baseball gets going with a three-game series at North Carolina beginning Feb. 19.
Both squads were in the midst of successful seasons when the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports last March. UK softball was 20-4 and had just taken two of three games from Texas A&M to win what turned out to be its only Southeastern Conference series of the season. UK baseball was 11-6 and had won six straight games leading up to an SEC campaign that never took place.
“It’s been a long 11 months for spring sports and for the softball team,” UK softball coach Rachel Lawson said during Tuesday’s Media Day event for both squads. “Really excited just to get out there on Friday and play somebody other than ourselves.”
Utilizing extensive safety measures, fall sports such as football and basketball have so far been able to successfully stage seasons amid the ongoing pandemic, though there have been challenges aplenty.
The UK football team had zero non-conference tune-up opportunities available before embarking upon a demanding 10-game SEC slate. The struggling UK men’s basketball team would probably have benefited from the type of normal offseason schedule that facilitates bonding and chemistry-building among young players who aren’t used to playing with one another. First-year UK women’s basketball coach Kyra Elzy has spoken this season about how necessary safety measures — such as individual hotel rooms — have affected the drive to forge team chemistry.
Lawson and UK baseball coach Nick Mingione on Tuesday shared some of their thoughts about getting back to competition amid the pandemic.
“They’ve showed so much self-discipline, I’m very proud of them,” Lawson said of her players. “Obviously, we’re going to start traveling more so I don’t know what this means for us in terms of health, but we did not have one positive COVID case during the offseason, which I thought was quite remarkable. Showed their commitment and self-discipline.”
Given the unpredictable nature of life during the pandemic, Lawson knows it’s more important than ever that the Wildcats get off to a good start.
“In the (non-conference) season, it’s so important that you get your wins quick because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Lawson said. “Are teams going to shut down? Does weather shut you down, all those sorts of things. You need to have those wins also to have a strong postseason resume. So, it makes the preparation a little different this year.”
Mingione, who came down with COVID during the offseason, said his biggest concern related to playing during the pandemic is keeping his players healthy. But he expressed confidence that UK’s safety policies will mitigate the risk of a COVID outbreak.
“For me, the biggest concern is the guys getting the virus. I actually had it in November and man, it put me out,” Mingione said. “Thankfully ... none of the (other) coaches, none of the players (got COVID). I just don’t want them to get it, that’s my biggest concern, is them contracting the virus.”
Lawson’s players have missed out on many of the typical offseason bonding experiences teams share, but she isn’t overly concerned that will have a negative impact on the Cats — in part because her veterans have made a point of using technology to keep everyone communicating.
“Our leadership on our team has done a good job of communicating with even the younger people during breaks ... just on their own phones and things like that,” Lawson said. “I think our team has done a great job with that. I’m not concerned with that moving forward ... Softball, in and of itself, being on the field is a form of team bonding and I think our team understands that.
“They understand that they’ve come together to be a softball team and they understand that they’re on a mission. I think that’s the thing that will keep us together.”
Season openers
UK SOFTBALL
When: Friday, 5 p.m. EST
Where: At Samford
Streaming: ESPN Plus (subscription required)
UK BASEBALL
When: Friday, Feb. 19, 3 p.m.
Where: At North Carolina
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
