Relentless opponent

Virus cases among UConn athletes are decreasing, but playing in a pandemic continues to be a challenge

UConn baseball rolled into a weekend series with Georgetown at Elliot Ballpark last weekend with as much momentum as it had all season. The Huskies, then winners of five straight, had settled into a groove after a sub-.500 start to the season.

Then COVID-19 hit. The baseball team has had nine positive cases in the last eight days, causing the cancellation of six games so far.

“The first one came back last Thursday and that turned into some contacts,” UConn baseball coach Jim Penders said.

Before the April 9 game, another player reported feeling ill and was sent for tests. The Huskies were cleared to start their series against the Hoyas and won April 9. During the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the player’s positive result was confirmed. The schools were allowed to finish the game after communication with doctors at both schools, with UConn winning in seven innings for their seventh victory in a row.

“I had to make a decision in that moment,” Penders said. “I quickly decided, yes, I had to tell the team. I don’t like leaving them in the dark, treating them like children. As soon as I told them, it felt like last March 12. Just a pall came over the dugout. ‘We’ve got to take care of business. Who knows when we’re going to be allowed to do this again. Try to enjoy it.’ I don’t think weenjoyed it all that much.”

On Monday, there were four more positives. By Tuesday, there were seven among 41 players, plus a coach and a student manager. The team is in suspension for now with the series at Creighton this weekend canceled. The team hopes with no more positives it can begin conditioning work and small-group workouts and possibly play at Xavier next weekend, perhaps moving the series to Saturday-Monday to have more players cleared.

Although the percentage of positive cases among UConn athletes has dropped from the fall semester to the spring,