There will be college baseball on the Hilltop.
Georgetown players had begun practicing on their own more than a month ago, creating their own protocols because NCAA rules state coaches and staff members could not be involved. They secured off-campus housing and the use of the field at Bishop O’Connell High in Arlington five times per week. Every player was required to wear a mask during each practice session. Participating players were tested biweekly, but practicing was not required. Parents, players and supporters helped create their own guidelines in an effort to practice as safely as possible and to be ready to hit the ground running when the program was cleared to play.
The college baseball season began Feb. 19, and many teams already have played 10 games or more. There was frustration among Georgetown players and parents over a lack of communication as they saw other teams compete, and they wrote multiple letters to the university asking for the program to be cleared. The rest of the Big East has already been cleared to return, and Butler is the only other program in the conference that has yet to play. The Bulldogs are set to debut Tuesday.
“We have 12 grad students and seniors who possibly want to play their last season,” senior outfielder AJ Lotsis previously said, “nine freshmen who want to play college baseball for the first time, and 26 draft-eligible players for the 2021 MLB draft who want to have the opportunity to potentially live out their childhood dream. The inability to play this spring kind of hinders all that, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes and work together with the university to ensure that we play.”
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