'Virtual' fist-bumps: High school baseball returns amid the pandemic
Two high school baseball teams returned to the diamond Wednesday in West Chicago under different protocol than past summers.
No sunflower seeds were spit. No water bottles were shared.
No high-fives were exchanged, only "air fives" as Wheaton Academy coach Justin Swider repeatedly reminded his Warriors.
There was no fist bump for a teammate returning to the dugout after a successful sacrifice bunt. "Virtual, guys, virtual," Aurora Central Catholic coach Sean Bieterman reminded his Chargers.
There was no traditional handshake line after the Metro Suburban Conference teams split two five-inning games under the warm July sun. Instead, the Aurora Central players raised their caps to the Warriors from the first-base line. The Wheaton Academy players returned the gesture of sportsmanship from the third-base dugout.
The approximately 30 fans in attendance for the 12:15 p.m. start were spread out. Some took refuge under a shady tree beyond the right-field fence. Others watched from beneath a canopy down the left-field line. A few parents stood near the backstop, some with umbrellas. Fans in lawn chairs were scattered down each fence line. Two teenage girls watched from a berm beyond center field.
Both coaching staffs adhered to Phase 4 guidelines of the IHSA Return to Play Plan by wearing masks for the three-hour duration.
"It could be 100 degrees and if the guidelines said that we had to wear long sleeves, I'd do it just to give these boys a chance to play," Swider said.
"If I had to wear a hazmat suit out here, I'd do it just to coach and be around the kids," said Bieterman.
The teams followed health protocols as best they could. Upon arriving at school, ACC players sanitized their hands and had their temperatures taken before they could board the bus to the game, their coach said. Players who drove to the game had their temperature taken at the field. Hand sanitizer was available throughout.
Wheaton Academy handled things differently. In order to participate, a player's parent or guardian had to sign a waiver saying they are responsible for their son's health and safety. It is left to each player's family to check for fever and symptoms and keep the player home if necessary.
The players were just glad to be back in action with their high school teammates.
"It's nice to come back and be with my team because I haven't seen them in about four months," ACC second baseman Ryan Nugent said. "It's like you're just back and you're energized and you're ready, not only for this to start but for everything to start opening up again, like for MLB to get back."
Wednesday was not an official Opening Day for summer high school baseball. It was more a chance for two high school baseball teams to get together unofficially on an open summer day. Neither school plays a full summer baseball schedule anymore. Too many players are involved with travel baseball or have commitments to camps in other sports. The idea behind Wednesday's twin bill was to maintain program continuity after the spring season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You have to build that camaraderie, that bond between the guys," Swiders said. "It's a chance to get together as Wheaton Academy and not one guy on one travel team and another guy on another travel team. We are Wheaton Academy baseball today, and I think that's going to pay dividends for us moving forward."
Bieterman, also ACC's athletic director, said following new protocol is a small price to pay to stay safe and return to the field.
"It's just fun to be out here and also fun to let the kids know that this is the plan," he said. "Now that we've been given the go ahead, we want kids to know we are going to push forward with it and make sure we're being safe. But at the same time, we've told them there's a plan to be back on the field and there's a plan to be back in school. And that's what we want for them."
The teams hope to play again in two weeks in Aurora, both coaches said.