Decision on season coming soon
The Humboldt Crabs will announce the status of its 2020 season soon after Wednesday night’s board meeting.
Board President David Sharp said to the TimesStandard Tuesday that the longest continuously operated collegiate summer baseball team in the nation will announce the fate of its 76th season Wednesday night after the board meeting, or Thursday morning.
The planned announcement comes in response the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and resulting shelterin-place orders, which have forced sports on all levels to suspend and cancel seasons worldwide.
The Crabs’ season was to begin June 2 at home against the San Francisco Seals, but that game won’t be able to be played until at least July 1 — as well as several others. Five of the games on the Crabs’ June schedule feature teams playing in the California Collegiate League (CCL). The CCL issued a May 4 press release which said its season would not begin until at least July 1.
The Crabs also have three June games against the California
Expos. A team official reported to the TimesStandard on Tuesday that its season had been pushed back to at least July.
Postponed games can be made up, but canceled ones cannot.
The Eureka-based Humboldt B52s, which had five scheduled games against the Crabs, announced the cancellation of its season May 4.
Crabs’ coach and scheduler Eric Giacone said as of Tuesday 20 of the team’s 50 games have been taken off the schedule due to opponents canceling their seasons.
Sharp did not speak to what the announcement may entail but said the decision will be made in the interest of “what is best for our community, players and fans.”
Giacone said many of the Northern California teams the Crabs still have on their schedule are committed to holding out hope for their seasons for as long as the Crabs do.
“I have spoken to enough teams (in our area) that have said they will hold off canceling their seasons as long as they can that I feel like, if we are allowed to have any type of season, that there will be teams to play,” Giacone said.