The news that high school softball and baseball players and fans have been patiently waiting for has been announced, and it’s good news! Governor Kim Reynolds has given the green light to the teams to begin preparations for their season following the two-month suspension of activities that forced the entire track and golf seasons to be cancelled. Both the IGHSAU Board of Directors and the IHSAA Board of Control also approved going ahead with the season under Iowa Department of Education (IDE) guidelines. Practices will open on June 1, with the first games occurring on June 15 and fans will be permitted to attend.
Member schools are to follow the reopening guidance procedures, based on conversations with both state-governing organizations along with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Governor Reynolds office. “The IHSAA thanks Dr. Ann Lebo (executive director of the Iowa Department of Education), Governor Reynolds, Dr. Pedati of the IDPH and all others who have worked diligently to develop these guidelines to help us conduct a baseball season for the student-athletes of Iowa,” stated IHSAA executive director Tom Keating. “We trust that our administrators, coaches, umpires and fans will responsibly follow the guidelines already in place to keep themselves and each other safe. This is terrific news and is a step toward getting our student-athletes reconnected to the activities that mean so much to them.”
“The guidelines laid out by the IDE and the IDPH will enable us to safely move forward with a softball season this summer,” stated IGHSAU executive director Jean Berger. “We are grateful for their leadership and support. We know the games will have different circumstances and that we will all have to work together to keep everyone safe, but we are confident that we are up to this challenge.” Be sure to check the websites of both organizations in the coming days for more guidance specific to each, along with a list of FAQ to help both players and fans.
The state tournament sites of Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge for softball and Principal Park in Des Moines for baseball will remain the same (Editor’s note-Be watching both the Eagle and Monitor for more information specific to Eagle Grove and C-G-D, respectively, as it pertains to each school’s plans for the summer schedule. Complete revised schedules for each will be printed here when they are available).
