For area student athletes, uncertainty caused by COVID-19 upended a carefully planned and highly anticipated season. Many students struggled to practice for summer sports with no facility access, restricted contact with coaches and the looming possibility of a canceled season.

Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds authorized partial seasons for baseball and softball beginning June 1. Although the prospect of a late season is a welcome one, the green light from the state government came later than most would have liked, a lack of information lengthening the wait.

The uncertainty left coaches and administrators flying blind through the baseball and softball preseasons while athletic association guidelines heavily restricted in-person and virtual interaction with students.

“I think the most challenging part is that this becomes your life for so long,” said Highland softball coach Carrie Wieland. “You get to the month of April, and you’re doing your pre-season, and you’ve got kids playing, and then, all of a sudden, it just stops.”

Hillcrest baseball coach Danny Hershberger agreed.

“You like to be prepared and have things worked out, and there’s so many unknowns with what’s going on that it’s tough to do,” he said. “It’s tough to be prepared for whatever, because you don’t really know what the situation is, what’s going to be asked of you.”

“With all the uncertainty that’s going on, it’s really hard to know for sure if we’re going to have a season or not, so trying to stay as positive as possible throughout the whole process has been kind of interesting,” senior Lone Tree softball player Abby Buckman said. “Knowing that this is my last season and knowing that it might not happen is something that’s been hard lately.”

Many athletes have struggled to stay on top of their games without the support of their teams.

“It’s really hard not seeing all of your teammates and trying to push yourself without other people there to encourage you,” said Whitney Willoz, another Lone Tree softball senior. “Our softball program definitely has a very encouraging atmosphere when you’re with your teammates, and it’s really hard to get that over no face-to-face contact.”

Finding substitutes for specialized equipment has been no easy task. Athletes found creative solutions to keep up their pre-season practice, converting everyday supplies and spaces into improvised facilities.

Mid-Prairie softball player Jaselyn Robertson said she had the space to practice hitting but not an adjustable tee for practice.

“We don’t have those nice tees they have at the field, so we have to break part of our tee to do a low ball or have buckets underneath the tee to do high pitches,” she said.

“I lift steel at work every day, so I kind of count that as my weights,” Mid-Prairie softball player Lanie Bowlin said. Bowlin works at a welding shop and is considered an essential worker during the pandemic.

“We have one set of, like, five-pound weights, so I do more of bodyweight exercises,” Noah Miller said.

The sophomore baseball player for Hillcrest Academy said he received a variety of weight-free exercises from his soccer coach before its season was canceled. He does these exercises – including push-ups and planks – in the family’s basement.

“We have a shed that’s a good enough size for us to throw and be able to hit in… we have a net up, so I can just come in and hit tee,” senior Mid-Prairie pitcher Brad Tornow said.

Grace Bachelor, a Highland senior, downloaded a workout app that helps her stay healthy without access to gym equipment.

“I just do it in the living room; we have a TV, so I can just mirror my phone onto there,” she said.

Students with athletic family members have capitalized on their time together during the pre-season.

Connor Grinstead, a Highland sophomore baseball player, has been practicing with his dad, a former baseball player. Grinstead said his dad had been instrumental for throwing and catching practice and as a source of motivation during the uncertain preseason.

Billy Laughlin, a Highland senior, practiced with his sister, Dani, who, as an eighth grader, had the school’s highest varsity softball batting average last year. He met with other players, usually one at a time, at public ballfields in Riverside.

He said the delays and season cuts were particularly hard for him as a senior.

“It’s just difficult wrapping my head around that there’s a pretty good chance that I’m not going to have a senior season,” Laughlin said. “I’m a multi-sport, athlete, and I enjoy baseball the most, easily, and I look forward to it every year.”

Underclassmen have empathized with their graduating teammates.

“If we don’t have games or anything, I’d feel so bad for our seniors,” said Chase Schultz, a Highland sophomore. Schultz said if the baseball-playing seniors missed their last season, the whole team would feel their grief.

Hopes have risen with the governor’s announcement and schools setting season schedules for baseball and softball starting June 1.

Mid-Prairie baseball coach Andy Greiner said he thought the school’s home field was spread out enough to facilitate social distancing during games. He hoped responsible behavior would allow fans to attend games without jeopardizing public health.

“We just really encourage everybody, once we do get started, to just come out and support these guys, they deserve it,” Greiner said. “We have six seniors this year, so it just means a lot that we’re able to send these guys out the right way.”