The Veterans Memorial High School athletes returned their uniforms today after not being able to complete this year's baseball season. We checked with them after the team and its coaches feel about ending this chapter of their lives so quickly.
From freshmen to seniors, the Veterans Memorial baseball team returned today to turn in their baseball uniforms and equipment.
Many were seeing their coaches and teammates for the first time in weeks.
“Picking up uniforms is kind of a symbol of it all being over and we gotta move on eventually," Veterans coach Lee Yeager said.
The 60 athletes in the Veterans' baseball program started their careers a long time ago, but had to end the season abruptly after their season ended after the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re just having them drive through," Yeager said. "They’re gonna drop their stuff off in a little bit and we’re gonna go in their lockers and pull their stuff out and they’re gonna take off.”
Athletes cleaned out their lockers, and turned in the jerseys they only got to wear for half of a season that saw them streak to the top of the state's Class 5A poll before the season stopped,
“Man we were ranked number one in the state , we were 15-0-1 playing really well," Yeager said.
And those players with big aspirations are experiencing the abrupt ending of a season that "could have been."
“Honestly it sucks," senior Jacob Garza said. "Things happen... I'm gonna miss the bond that we had.
"It's not the ideal way to do it. I've grown up with most of these guys and ... I'm gonna go from seeing them everyday to seeing them once a month.”
In a Twitter message to his players, Yeager shared one good memory of each player he remembered.
And he finished by reminiscing about the season that they were so close to having.
"We’re gonna miss those guys," Yeager said. "We’ve been with them for four years and its gonna be sad to see those guys go."
But as these athletes are learning: all things come to an end.
And their coach is glad to see them drive off - only looking ahead.
Ready for a challenge.