CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx. — A new college baseball season has finally kicked off and for the majority of baseball teams at all levels, it will be the first time they have hit the field in close to two years after their 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19.
Seniors on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Baseball team thought 2020 would be the end of the road.
"We've all been playing ball together for four years, I love these guys," senior Luke Marbach said. "To know that our season got cut short, it stunk."
In an unprecedented move during an unprecedented time, the NCAA announced that spring sport athletes would be able to return in 2021 without losing a year of eligibility. Players like Marbach, Itchy Burts and Mike Williams all were getting a second chance.
"We all knew we wanted to come back," added Marbach.
"It was a no brainer," said senior Mike Williams.
These fifth year seniors returning, you can call them super seniors. Marbach says that's one of the many nicknames.
"We get called grandpas because we are old."
Grandpas, super seniors or COVID seniors; call them what you want. They're taking advantage of their extra season.
"It's a great feeling but at times it's a little unreal," said senior Itchy Burts. "I feel like I've been given an extra chance."
This is now a chance to rewrite their endings.
"We're hoping to win the conference tournament," continued Burts.
The Islanders started their 2021 campaign with a season opening series sweep against Central Michigan.
