FOR THE 2020 CODY CUBS LEGION BASEBALL TEAM, GETTING BACK ON THE DIAMOND MEANS EVERYTHING TO THEM. LEGION BASEBALL TEAMS WERE TOLD TO SUSPEND ALL ACTIVITIES BACK ON MARCH 23RD. ON MAY 1ST TEAMS WERE TOLD THEY COULD START PRACTICING WITH STRICT LIMITATIONS AND JUST OVER A WEEK AGO TEAMS WERE GIVEN A GREEN LIGHT TO PLAY GAMES. RECENTLY, I SAT DOWN WITH A TRIO OF CUBS PLAYERS TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING OUT ON THE FIELD AGAIN PLAYING A SPORT THEY LOVE.
JARED GRENZ, HAYDEN BRONNENBERG AND MAX WILLIAMS ARE ALL ENTERING THEIR FINAL SEASON PLAYING LEGION BASEBALL. HAYDEN TALKS ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING BACK ON THE FIELD, WITH THIS TEAM, PREPARING FOR GAMES.
“IT FEELS REALLY GOOD TO BE BACK ON THE FIELD. WE WENT TO THE SCHOOL THAT DAY AND WE DIDN’T KNOW WE WEREN’T GOING TO COME BACK. AND IT ALL GOT SHUT DOWN AND WE DIDN’T KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A SEASON. WE’RE JUST HAPPY TO BE OUT HERE, WITH SOME OF OUR FRIENDS WE HADN’T SEEN IN A LONG TIME.”
HAYDEN GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE TEAMS MINDSET AND HOW THEY ADAPTED TO THE SHUTDOWN.
“YEAH, IT WAS KIND OF A SHOCK CAUSE WE DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN BUT WE HAD INDOOR PRACTICES BEFORE IT ALL HAPPENED. SO WE JUST KEPT THROWING, YOU KNOW WITH TWO, THREE GUYS. KEEPING IT SMALL THE WHOLE TIME JUST TO KEEP OUR ARMS IN SHAPE.”
JARED GRENZ WHO GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL A YEAR AGO HAS RETURNED TO CODY FOR ONE FINAL SEASON AND WHILE THEIR ARE LIMITATIONS AND CERTAIN PROTOCOLS THAT THE PLAYERS HAVE TO FOLLOW HE SAYS THEY’RE JUST HAPPY TO BE ON THE FIELD.
“YEAH THE RULES CHANGE SOME THINGS LIKE HOW WE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER BUT IT’S STILL GOOD TO BE PLAYING AND STILL GOOD TO BE OUT ON THE FIELD.”
JARED GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE EXPECTATIONS THIS TEAM IS SETTING FOR THEMSELVES.
“WELL WE’D LIKE TO WIN THEM ALL, LIKE EVERY TEAM DOES. SO WE’LL JUST WORK EVERY GAME AT A TIME AND THEN GO FROM THERE. HOPEFULLY, WE GO UNDEFEATED.”
MAX WILLIAMS GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT WHERE THE FOCUS LIES FOR THIS TEAM EARLY ON.
“WE NEED TO START OUT OF THE GATES HOT. DURING THE GAMES WE NEED TO TALK MORE IN THE DUGOUT, I FEEL LIKE. YEAH, JUST TALK MORE.”
AND EVEN THOUGH THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED, MAX SAYS PLAYING FOR THAT STATE TITLE WOULD BE BIG
“IT FEELS GOOD KNOWING THAT WE GET ONE MORE CHANCE IN OUR SENIOR YEAR. IT’S JUST SOMETHING WE WANT TO GO GET AND BRING BACK TO CODY.”
THE CODY CUBS SEASON OPENER IS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY JUNE 2ND WHEN THEY HOST THE BILLINGS CARDINALS. STAY TUNED TO THE BIG HORN RADIO NETWORK ALL SUMMER LONG FOR MORE ON CODY CUBS BASEBALL.
“I’M JUST READY TO GO. TRY AND GET ANOTHER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO.”
