HYANNIS – The Cape Cod Baseball League is continuing to monitor the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it could bring to its operations for the upcoming season.
June 13 is the scheduled opening day for the 2020 campaign and Cape League President Chuck Sturtevant is hoping that date can stick.
“Hopefully we can play baseball, we just don’t know,” Sturtevant explained.
“It may be totally out of our control by the time we get nearer to June.”
Still, Sturtevant said that the league is following the lead of local, state, and federal officials and monitoring updates.
Certain restrictions and practices might have to be taken if games are to be played, but Sturtevant said that those decisions will be based on the advice of medical experts.
While a postponement or cancellation of the season would be a depressing blow to those who work hard to make the league possible, Sturtevant said that safety is the primary issue.
“Our first priority is to the health and safety of our fans, our volunteers, our players, coaches, and everyone else involved in the league,” he said.
It is unclear if games would be played without fans and Sturtevant said there would be a “cost factor” at play if that were to be implemented.
He projected that the absolute latest possible start time for the season could potentially be the beginning of July, although he offered the caveat that that date would depend on medical expertise.
The league’s officials and representatives have been meeting consistently to create alternative plans if the beginning of the campaign cannot begin as scheduled.
Franchises across the league, Sturtevant said, haven’t been able to fully explore sponsorship opportunities and complete other vital pre-season tasks like in normal years due to the pandemic.
Differing restrictions on travel from other states may impact the league if games proceed as scheduled, Sturtevant said, as college players throughout the country come to the area to compete.
Another potential issue moving forward is access to fields, as they are under the control of local school departments, who are currently not holding classes within their facilities.
Sturtevant mentioned that a meeting will be held on May 1 with the league’s executive board, where decisions on how to proceed will be made.
If there are no baseball games played on Cape Cod this year, Sturtevant assured that the league and its teams will be well prepared to play ball in 2021.
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