By Brady Cote
bcote2@springfieldcollege.edu
With just a few short weeks left on Alden street, Springfield College’s beloved sports seasons are coming to an end. This year has been challenging not only in the classroom but also on the field for student-athletes who have been itching to compete for the first time in over a year.
Unfortunately for the seniors, this was their last season to play their respective sports. Although this was a challenging year for athletics, it certainly did not stop seniors from soaking up every second of competition they could.
Center fielder for the baseball team, Jack Cooney, says that this year has been challenging but the seniors have been able to adjust to these changes in a positive way.
“I think the guys are adjusting well, I mean it’s especially tough for the seniors knowing that this is our last run at it,” said Cooney. “I think we’re all just eager to get back on the field in the next couple of weeks and compete whenever we have the chance to.”
This year’s baseball team has been different, for the sophomores have yet to see a normal season, putting them in a similar situation as the freshman class.
“Both classes have zero in-conference experience which has been a new challenge, but I think that our team has been taking on this new challenge well because our scrimmages have been competitive, but we’re all eager to face someone else,” said Cooney.
Although the season was different from any other, Cooney was still able to pull good memories as soon as he put on “the jersey.”
“It gave me butterflies again, it felt like I was a freshman on opening day because we haven’t played in so long,” said Cooney. “I know that there weren’t any fans, but you could still feel the opening day atmosphere.”
Similarly, center back for the women’s soccer team, Cassidy Bailey says that this season has been difficult, but she is looking forward to competing whenever she has the chance.
“It sucks. We’ve been practicing for a couple of months now and not looking forward to having games was tough, but we just had our first game Friday so at least we were able to do some stuff with the freshman,” Said Bailey. “It’s just totally different having your senior year being so limited and having no games.”
Although the season was challenging due to the lack of games in comparison to a normal season, Bailey was still able to create good memories with her teammates.
“As crazy as it sounds, media day was probably my favorite memory of the season, everyone was so excited,” said Bailey. “It was really nice to see all how happy the freshmen were to take pictures.”
This sports season has been full of its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, the seniors are able to wear their jerseys and get back to competing, whether it be against our school or another. Through many challenges and hardships, student-athletes have shown that no matter how different their season can be, that they can still find the bright side and persevere.
Photo Courtesy of Joe Arruda