The coronavirus is affecting coaches and student-athletes at Carolina Forest High School. We found out on March 24 that all South Carolina schools are temporarily closed until the end of April. Spring sports are postponed until further notice. The athletes and coaches feel an emptiness that is hard to ignore.  For seniors, this is a heart-breaking time frame because many of them are struggling to find last-minute scholarship opportunities.

Since his freshman year of high school, Senior Christian Cassidy has starred as a pitcher and corner infielder for the baseball team at Carolina Forest High School. Not to mention, he is a stellar student and an avid participant of clubs and honor societies. In 2019, Cassidy received the All-Academic award for his accomplishments in the classroom. After high school, he plans to attend a four-year university and further his baseball career. 

However, Christian Cassidy is upset about how the coronavirus is affecting his baseball season. Cassidy adds, “As a whole, the baseball team is very upset. With our first-region opening, we started the season with a  4-1 record. Our team looked forward to a fresh start. I hope the past game was not our last chance to play together.”

Cassidy also fears the impact of the recruiting process. He adds, “The whole recruiting process is thrown off. Due to the implications of social distancing, most seniors are having a hard time getting seen by coaches.” As a result, students are not receiving a myriad of scholarship opportunities from recruiters, which in turn hinders their chances of pursuing a career in a professional baseball league.

Coach Joe Worley is the head baseball coach at Carolina Forest High School. He also has taught social studies for over 20 years. 

Coach Worley adds, “I hurt for all of our seniors and student-athletes who have put in a lot of time since September.  I just hope we can get back to work in the next couple of weeks. We have worked extremely hard as a team, BUT I think that we need to do what is best for everyone first.  I just pray that we all stay safe and healthy during this time.”

Despite the effects of the burdensome coronavirus, the Carolina Forest baseball team remains in good spirits.