There will only be one youth baseball league in Columbia this summer with Duckworth announcing Wednesday it has cancelled the remainder of its season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
League Administrator Larry Jenkins announced the decision in a social media post, saying “After much prayer, looking at positive cases in communities, the county (and) the state; the impact on (the) African American community; consultation with coaches and the city, we have decided to cancel the 2020 season… It saddens me to make this decision because of our CHILDREN. However, the safety of our CHILDREN and FANS is most important.”
He also informed parents that if they had already paid the $30 registration fee, they could either receive a full refund or allow the league to keep the money and have it be used for next season’s registration.
Jenkins said Thursday he’s been studying a lot of data over the past few months, especially in relation to the black community that has been harder by the virus than any other, and decided it just wasn’t worth the risk with 99% of the league’s players being black. He added he’s personally been to several funerals for people who succumbed to the disease, and he wants to protect his community the best he can.
“We also have a lot of younger kids that take up close 1-on-1 training with volunteers. Then the fans, once the season starts, it would be really hard to keep crowds from congregating. Considering our limited staff, we felt like it’s just too much to take on,” he said.
The last time he checked, Jenkins said 13 other leagues in Mississippi had already cancelled their seasons as well. With the limited amount of leagues fielding all-star teams, there may not even be a state tournament this summer either, according to Jenkins.
Jenkins said he hated to cancel the season but that children are resilient and will move on. He said hopefully they will have football to look forward to in the fall, but there was no need to jeopardize the health of the community this summer.
“The risk, in our opinion, simply outweighed the reward,” he said. “Baseball is good and we all love it, but safety is first. We’ve never faced anything like this, and we’re just trying to wade through it the best we can.”
Dean Griner, meanwhile, resumed practicing May 18 and is expected to begin its season Monday.
