EDITOR'S NOTE: One of a series of stories written by Oklahoma Christian student-athletes who serve on the university's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee whose seasons suddenly ended due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Daelyn Denny is a junior outfielder for OC's softball team.
OKLAHOMA CITY (April 20, 2020) – We got the news that our softball season was being suspended on Thursday, March 12. I can remember the day like it was yesterday.
Everyone had seen a couple Division I conferences cancelling their entire seasons earlier that day. The mood in the locker room before practice started was very uneasy. Our team went out and had batting practice that day. We thought it was strange when our coaches told us we were going to be playing kickball instead of doing our drills and regular practice schedule. We all had a great time, especially with the warm weather. The emotional time came after practice.
The coaches told us our season was suspended until March 30. It was very upsetting to hear this news. We did not know what was going to happen with the suspension, but in the back of our minds we knew this was the end of our season. Our seniors took the news very hard. It was very upsetting to see our seniors in such emotional distress.
On the Friday after receiving the news, our coaches told us it would be best if everyone cleaned out their lockers. I can remember that day also. It was a gloomy, rainy day and it was a perfect example of the mood of all spring athletes. A few days later, the Lone Star Conference ended up cancelling our entire season.
It was upsetting for me to hear the news and I know it was even harder on our seniors. We only had two seniors,
Bailey Strecker and
Brie Dunckel. I know our team, and especially our seniors, wanted to take our team farther than we had last year. We had just made it to No. 16 in the country for NCAA Division II. We were barely halfway through our season and we were looking to make a large impact on our new conference. Our goal this season was to make it to the national tournament and we were led by a couple of amazing seniors.
At the time, our seniors were unsure about eligibility. Luckily, the NCAA granted every spring athlete their eligibility back. This was exciting news for all the seniors who did not get to finish their season. For one of our seniors, though, this was the end of her softball career.
Bailey Strecker already had plans after graduation that did not involve softball. She was recently accepted into the graduate program in biomedical sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She will be pursuing her PhD and will specialize in one of the seven major focus areas of the biomedical program. Our team has been very supportive of each other and we are very proud of our team's accomplishments, as well as their personal accomplishments.
Through all the bad, there has been a lot of positives as well. Despite our season being cancelled, God has been working through it all. In a way, God has made everyone slow down and focus on the importance of family and worship. I feel this has brought us closer to our families and to God. It has made me so excited to see my teammates getting this opportunity to be at home with their families. I have loved seeing the videos and pictures my teammates will post or send of their families and pets. We have also been able to use this quarantine to focus on our schoolwork.
If COVID-19 has brought anything to my team, it is the drive to be greater for the next season. I have decided to not be upset about the past season and look forward to the new season with eagerness. Since our season was cut short, I know my team will be back stronger and better than ever. We are ready to compete and make an impact on and off the field. We will remember this past season forever and we will never take stepping onto the field for granted again.
