Baseball and softball season is officially over for Weatherford College after a ruling Monday by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Following recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the NJCAA canceled all spring competition, effective immediately.
"In light of the progressive evolvement of the COVID-19 situation, the NJCAA has decided to end all competition for the remainder of the academic year," said Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA president and CEO. "We believe following the recommendations of the CDC is in the best interest of our member colleges and our student-athletes."
Spring competition includes all practices, regular season, and postseason and national championship play.
Regarding eligibility for spring sports, no spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled at a member college in 2020 will be charged a year of participation.
Along with the cancellation of competition, the NJCAA said on and off-campus recruiting for all sports will be halted until April 15 with further evaluation to be assessed at that point in time.
"I am saddened for our baseball and softball student-athletes and staff, but the countless hours of work and preparation were not in vain," said Jeff Lightfoot, assistant athletic director and head baseball coach. "We will grow from this. We will face this like we face everything else…we will attack it and turn it into a positive. I am excited about what the future holds for these two programs."
The ruling does not impact WC rodeo, as the sport is governed by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association rather than the NJCAA.
Before the threat of COVID-19 ended the season, the 17-9 Coyote baseball team led the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference with a 6-1 league record. The WC softball team was 11-12 overall and 1-6 in conference.
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