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Kingston sophomore third baseman Gage Gill watches a hit early in his team’s March 9 game against Tishomingo. The game will be among a handful to be played in the 2020 season. Matt Caban • The Madill Record
A repeat of a trip to the state semifinals is no longer on the card for the Kingston Redskins baseball team this season.
That’s because the 2020 season was cancelled effective March 25 due to a state school board decision to leave all school facilities closed through the end of the school year. This decision was due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Kingston High School baseball head coach Darren Henson shared how both he and his players took the news.
Henson said he told the players via a message on their team messaging app.
“I just said, ‘I’m sorry, everyone stay safe,” he said. “One of the hard things is the kids… they wanna play. I understand that they don’t understand it. I hope the virus won’t be as widespread here being that we’re in a less populated city.”
Henson added that OSSAA regulations are in place to prevent much of the practice and preparation the team would be doing.
“We can’t even tell ‘em to go workout ‘cause it’d put them near people,” he said. “They do things as individuals at home to stay in shape.”
Henson said he is thinking about all of his players during this time.
However, he is more concerned that some younger people make not take the necessary precautions such as social distancing.
“They’re not gonna take it as serious as people in their seventies with chronic breathing conditions,” he said. “Someone may get sick, not know it and share it with their parents or grandparents.”
Henson called the pandemic uncharted territory.
“Hopefully, it’s not the worst case scenario,” he said in reference to various reports that the death toll nationwide could reach 100,000 people. “Those numbers are numbing.”
Henson said he’s mostly been staying inside at his home on Lake Texoma.
“I’ll keep fishing until they shut down the lake,” he said.
Henson said his family is only taking one trip a week to the grocery store. He added that the time spent at home is unusual for everyone in his household this time of year.
“We’re stuck at home most of the time,” he said. “We’ve watched a couple of seasons of Yellowstone on Netflix. We don’t normally watch this much TV this time of year.”
Henson said although he has thought about baseball since spring break was extended on March 23, the sport has not been at the forefront of his mind.
“I think about it everyday, but it doesn’t consume my life like normal,” he said. “My thoughts are on my family and the country in general. I want my family to be safe. I try to stay busy, but I don’t think about baseball as much even though it’s a passion in my life.”
Henson said the loss of most of a season will impact all of his players.
“Ty Herndon is our only senior,” he said. “The freshmen are gonna lose a year. It sucks for them. I know it’s cliché for coaches to say, but the game really has been taken away from them. I’m sure the last thing on Ty’s mind was ‘this could be my last game.’”