Another season cancelation in the summer-collegiate ranks, as the West Coast League will not play a 2020 season due to coronavirus-pandemic mitigation measures still in place in Washington State and Oregon.
Those COVID-19 mitigation measures affected the Cowlitz, Port Angeles, Ridgefield, Walla Walla, and Yakima Valley teams. Previously the league’s two British Columbia teams, two teams in Oregon and one team in Washington canceled their seasons because of state, provincial or local restrictions.
“Yes, we’re heartbroken about 2020,” WCL Commissioner Rob Neyer said in a press statement, “but we’re already looking toward 2021, with Nanaimo joining the league and playing at historic Serauxmen Stadium. And with more exciting news on the way, we’re confident that next summer will be our best yet.”
The WCL’s Portland Pickles and Wenatchee AppleSox still hope to play this summer on an independent basis.
We do have something to look forward to: June 4 is officially Opening Day for its 2021 West Coast League season. “The Pippins are committed to return in 2021 because sports bring us together with a sense of community. Baseball can remind us of the best things in life, especially during this current time of pandemic and social unrest,” said Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson. “Sports are a powerful force for equity for players and for fans, and we can’t wait to share that experience again at The Orchard next year.”
The West Coast League joins the Prospect League, Western Canadian Baseball League, MINK League, Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York Collegiate Baseball League, Ohio Valley League, New England Collegiate Baseball League, Cape Cod League and the Valley Baseball League in canceling the 2020 season. The Florida Collegiate Summer League, Midwest Collegiate League and the Northwoods League announced plans for a 2020 season. The Coastal Plain League, Futures Collegiate Baseball League and the Texas Collegiate League have announced delays to the 2020 summer-collegiate season.
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