Waukon baseball team will field 14 returning letterwinners looking to make the most out of the 2020 season shortened by COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 Waukon baseball team will join all other Iowa high school summer sports teams in the bittersweet aspect of being able to take to the field this season. After the entire high school spring sports season was called off due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the summer high school sports seasons has been delayed about a month as well and, thus, will leave just over a month of competition able to be played now that the green light has been given to resume such activities.

Second-year Waukon baseball head coach Shane Schellsmidt knows very well that the decisions made regarding the high school sports seasons and even the early end to the academic year were in necessary response to the COVID-19 virus. He also knows that the return to the sports scene this summer will have much more meaning to those participating than just playing a game.

“I feel student-athletes are met with challenges every year, driving them to excel, striving for success, looking to reach personal and team goals, and countless other driving forces,” Coach Schellsmidt explained. “But now with all of the additional safety guidelines and procedures they must adhere to, this forces them to be present much more than in years past. I have always thought that baseball and softball require fine motor skills in order to be successful, so trying to continue with this level of difficulty, plus the numerous challenges facing these athletes, I tip my hat to them. They are doing their best to represent their community.”

Preparation for this 2020 season began long before the season was even on the horizon. But that preparation came to an abrupt halt when school and all activities were initially suspended in mid-March before finally being called off entirely in mid-April.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition by clicking here.