FITCHBURG STATE TO PLAY SPRING SPORTS
MASCAC approves plan after year of cancellations
After nearly a year of cancelled athletics, the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference announced Friday that the spring sports season is set to be played.
Baseball, softball, men’s golf, women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field will be allowed to compete, according to a press release, while fall and winter teams will be allowed to continue practices, subject to COVID19 safety protocols.
The announcement comes nearly one year after the MASCAC shut down sports as the pandemic took its grip on the nation. After starting the spring sesaon last year, the conference cancelled remaining contests and tournaments on March 16, 2020.
The cancellation of fall and winter sports followed.
“The MASCAC continues to meet regularly with the presidents, athletic directors, athletic trainers and other essential staff as we bring our studentathletes back to the playing field, safely, while adhering to
all state, federal and NCAA guidelines,” MASCAC Commissioner Angela Baumann said in the release. “It is our intention to have these athletic events as long as the conditions allow us to move forward safely. The MASCAC office and eight MAS
CAC presidents will be monitoring practices and competition to ensure the continued health and safety of our student-athletes and staff.”
While the conference has approved a plan to return to competition, each of its eight mem
ber schools will have to ability to opt out completely or to participate only in specific sports. Additionally, schools “reserve the right to halt competition if the health of the campus community is put at risk,” and the
conference says stoppages in play and schedule adjustments are a possiblity in the case of virus-related increases at any mascac campus.
matthew burke, fitchburg State University’s Senior Director of Athletics and Recreation, confirmed Friday morning that the Falcons would Be returning to their respective fields of play this spring.
“We are grateful and
excited for the opportunity to play games again. Our spring student-athletes were the first to have their seasons cancelled Because of COVID19 last year, so returning them to competition was of the utmost importance for us,” Burke said in an email. “We remain committed to following our health and safety protocols, playing games in the safest way possible, and providing this opportunity to our amazing student-athletes.”
The plan laid out By the MASCAC presidents features a conference
schedule in which each school will play an opposing school in baseball, softball and women’s lacrosse each week. for example, fitchburg state would face worcester state’s programs one week before moving on to another institution the following week to make contact tracing easier in the case of any incident.
Golf and track and field championships have also Been approved By the conference.
Tentative schedules have Begun to Be posted by fitchburg state on its
athletics website (fitchburgfalcons.com).
in addition to conference contests, mascac treams will be allowed to schedule meetings with non-conference opponents “provided all nonconference teams follow prescribed MASCAC health and safety guidance and protocols” and travel to face teams outside of Massachusetts will not Be permitted.
“The presidents are excited to move forward with plans for spring sports competition,” said Massachusetts College of liberal Arts President
James Birge, Chair of the MASCAC Council of Presidents. “As we plan for spring sports competition, we will continue to fine-tune protocols to ensure the safety of student-athletes, coaches, staff and the campus communities.”
Spectators will not Be allowed at MASCAC contests to start the season, though the conference says the policy may Be revisited as the season goes on. Games will Be livestreamed on MASCAC.tv.