Muskingum University head softball coach Kari Winters held out hope that the Lady Muskies’ 2020 campaign wouldn’t be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the developing news coming from professional sports and higher levels in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) cast doubt on that hope.
Muskingum University Head Softball Coach Kari Winters
“When the NCAA started to make similar decisions at higher levels, I was just praying that we would wake up the next day and have different news. I immediately became emotional, knowing that we would have to inform our women. I was heartbroken for our seniors, knowing that they wouldn’t have a true ending to their careers. I hated it for the other classes who had something so precious to them taken away. It was definitely news that I never imagined having to hear as a college coach, and I sure hope that I never hear it again,” said Winters.
Winters knew the decision made by the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) was a tough one to make.
“At the moment, I knew that the decision was way out of my control. I would have hated to be the people making that decision. I know it wasn’t an easy one to make,” said Winters.
Winters stressed to her players that the coronavirus situation carried far more weight than the sport of softball.
“I told my team that the decision is so much bigger than our season and that we had to learn from this moment…to learn that we aren’t always in control,” said Winters.
Winters wanted to talk to her team as soon as she and her staff found out about the OAC’s decision and didn’t want social media to lead to speculation.
“We had an immediate team meeting once we found out that the OAC announced that the season would be over via social media. I wanted the majority of our players to hear it from me,” said Winters.
Hearing the news certainly made the players emotional, but it allowed the team to reflect and enjoy their remaining time together on Muskingum’s campus.
“It was a very raw time for the team. Our women work extremely hard and set lofty goals each season. I was ultimately impressed with how they handled the situation. The overall maturity that they showed was nice to see. They came together as a team, and we found different ways to make practice environments fun. We found ways to honor the seniors, and I hope that they appreciated those last few days together. I know that we did,” said Winters.
The NCAA is offering an extra season of eligibility for all student-athletes, including seniors, who wish to pursue that opportunity.
However, the three seniors on the softball team elected to graduate this spring term, forgoing another chance to play their senior season.
“We are crazy thankful for each one of them and will welcome them to the Long Magenta Line when they receive their diplomas,” said Winters.
Working from home has become the new “normal” for Winters, along with spending time with family.
“I’ve become a full-time stay-at-home mom and full-time softball coach, two jobs that I absolutely love. I am utilizing my staff to help out with recruiting efforts, but we are doing the typical office life…just at home,” said Winters.
Winters is unsure how recruiting future Muskies to her softball program will be affected by this pandemic, but she is hopeful that recruiting through virtual communication will be fruitful.
“I don’t know this answer. In a perfect ‘COVID-19 life,’ I would say that it won’t be impacted. I am hopeful that we will find strong, independent women that happen to also be great at softball to fall in love with our institution virtually and to decide to spend their college years on the best small school campus in the state,” said Winters.
Although the 2020 season is lost for the Lady Muskies, they look forward to their 2021 campaign and the opportunity to finally defend their 2019 OAC Regular Season Championship.
