HAMLET — American Legion Baseball has become the latest athletic program to fall victim of the current coronavirus outbreak.
Legion Baseball was slated to make its return to Richmond County this summer after a 13 year hiatus, but North Carolina organizers have decided to cancel the summer schedule for all teams in the state.
According to Chip Gordon, who is the head coach of the Hamlet Post 49 team, the North Carolina chapter of American Legion Baseball announced on Friday it would be forgoing the season as a “safety precaution to players and fans.”
Post 49 is one of 16 teams in the state’s “senior team” division that will not be hitting the diamond this summer. Gordon said he received a text message from Area 2 supervisor Rick Zickafoose on Friday morning declaring the 2020 season was off, following a conference call on Thursday.
Earlier in the week, the national commissioners decided to cancel the regional tournaments and the World Series, and left it up to individual states to determine the outcome for their teams.
“I was really looking forward to playing this summer and I know the kids were too,” Gordon said. “But we need to look at what’s best for everybody, and most importantly the safety of the players and the families.
“We wanted to be on the field, but right now it’s not ideal,” he added. “This is a time like we’ve never seen before. It was decided it was best to forgo the season.”
A 2004 graduate of Richmond Senior High School, Gordon was set to revitalize the program this summer, having kickstarted the comeback campaign last May. He helped get a $10K budget approved by the City of Hamlet last August and has since spent time and the funds to renovate Memorial Park.
Gordon noted that the “main reason” the season was canceled, aside from safety concerns, was the inability to get the required player insurance. He said it was decided that it was a “liability” to have players on the field with the possibility of COVID-19 being spread or contracted.
Another issue was playing venues, as several teams in the state and Area 2 use high school baseball fields to play on. It was uncertain at the time of the state’s meeting whether or not all venues would be available this summer with schools being out of the classroom.
Hopes were high for Legion Baseball to carry on its summer schedule without any disruption just two weeks ago, as all teams were to hold off playing until June 1. Gordon said that outlook changed quickly as a result of the state’s meeting.
This year’s Post 49 team had 13 players on it, including current Richmond seniors Will Chappell and Dallas Cowick. Current college freshmen and Raider baseball alumni Tyler Bass (Brunswick Community College) and Cameron Carraway (Wingate University) were also on the roster.
“It’s disappointing, but Legion is back to stay in Richmond County,” Gordon said. “This is obviously a tough year, but the 2021 season will see us come back as strong as we were going to be this year.
“The plan is to start preparing for next summer,” he closed. “We’ve gotten the field ready to play on and we’ll maintain it for when next season gets here. I just want to thank our sponsors again.”
Gordon added Post 49 is “still going to honor our sponsors,” giving out hats and shirts, and the Legion organization will roll over their season tickets to next summer.
