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Madill baseball players pose for a photo earlier this spring. From left to right are Bret McDaniel, Riggin Melton, Wylbe Roberts, Britton Goss and Case Coble. Courtesy Photo. -
Madill baseball players Case Coble, Wylbe Roberts, Britton Goss and Aron Vann share a laugh earlier this season. Courtesy Photo. -
Wylbe Roberts and Case Coble of the Madill Wildcats baseball team take a selfie during the school's annual spring sports media day. Courtesy Photo. -
Case Coble getting one of his two hits against Ardmore. He was 2 for 2 with two walks and a run scored and an RBI. Glenn Price • The Madill Record -
Coty Tweedy after a stolen base against Ardmore. Glenn Price • The Madill Record
As with other high school spring sports across the state, there will be no more baseball game in Madill this season.
A new reality has set in for Madill’s head coach, Frank Thompson and his team.
This year’s team included eight seniors: Bret McDaniel, Wylbe Roberts, Britton Goss, Aron Vann, Riggon Melton, Coty Tweedy, Austin Lewis and Ricky James.
Thompson said the spread of the novel coronavirus makes it difficult to do any kind of baseball-related activities.
“Hoping to say in touch with somebody is hard cause you gotta have people who to get around each other,” he said. “The big thing is to swing a bat. That part will be lacking. Hoping they’re doing something to stay ready to go if we come back.”
Thompson said he hope the squad gets to play in the summer.
“Can’t get together now as they’ve shut down all athletic facilities,” he said.
“But the lockdown is understandable and should be because the health of the young men is most important.”
Thompson said he feels bad for his team’s seniors.
“We were getting better,” he said. “For some of them baseball is the only sport they have. We won our last game so we ended on a good note. That’s good.”
However, Thompson notes that it’s never easy when life takes something like baseball away from you.
“Coaches across the state are wondering what’s gonna happen,” he said. “We’ve never seen anything like this time. Games are only ever cancelled for weather. It’s all new territory for all of us.”
A player’s perspective
One of those seniors, Wylbe Roberts provided his point of view.
Roberts, who played both centerfield and pitcher, said the announcement to cancel the season wasn’t a surprise.
“We knew it was gonna happen with everything going on,” he said. “As seniors, it was the last year to play for a lot of us. A lot of us have played together since we were in little league; since we were eight or nine years old.”
Roberts said he is not likely to play baseball in college. However, he is planning to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University to pursue a degree in wildlife management.
He added that players have stayed in touch.
“We hang out every once in a while,” Roberts said. “Mostly we go fishing at the lake. Usually, it’s me, Britton [Goss], Riggon [Melton] and Case [Coble.]”
Roberts said he works out every day to stay in shape.
“I work out at the house and the gym,” he said.
Roberts said while most of his time off school has been spent working his job at Atwood, he like other players do find time to play videogames.
“We all play PS4,” he said. “We play MLB: The Show, Madden and NBA 2K.”
Roberts said he comes from a family of baseball fans.
“On my dad’s side they are Texas Rangers fans,” he said. “My mom’s side are St. Louis Cardinals fans. I’m kind of a loner cause I like the Kansas City Royals.”