HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Marc and Kim Blackim released information via social media, that the Monarchs season opener is planned for June 15th.
Facebook Post:
First of all the 2020 updated roster is now on our website www.monarchsbaseball.org. I am very excited about the group of young men coming to play in Hutchinson this summer.
We plan on starting our season around June 15th. We are waiting on the NBC to release their tournament dates so we can determine how late into June we can play league games before the NBC World Series. As soon as the schedule is finalized I will get it on Facebook and our website.
If anyone is willing to be a host family this summer we still need to find host families for 8 of our players so if you are willing to host please give me a call at 316-648-4882.
Look forward to seeing all of you this summer. It has been way to long without baseball
Sunflower League Facebook Post:
After discussing the plan outlined tonight by the Governor of the State of Kansas (assuming the counties will follow suit) with the league owners, the Sunflower Collegiate League feels it is in the best interest of the league, teams, players, host families and fans to delay the start of our 2020 summer season. With that said, we are very confident that a start date on or around June 15th will give us a realistic start date to get players in town, allow the virus to taper off in our area, and prepare to play a resemblance of a normal summer schedule of league games. We feel this is also ample time for the state to progress into Phase 2 of the governor’s outlined plans, which allows organized sports and tournament to take place. (See plan link below). On the flip side, we are well aware that there are things out of our control that may require us to make the tough decision to cancel the season in the coming days and weeks. Obviously that is not what we want to do but we know it is still a possibility.Each team will decide report dates for their respective players and as long as the outlined guidelines are being followed, that could begin around June 1st if they would like to begin workouts. One of the biggest factors in the delay is making sure pitchers are in good enough shape to have higher pitch counts without being rushed, as we do not want to take any injury chances with players that have not been playing for two months.In the days to come, we will be looking at what this schedule would look like with hopes of playing somewhere between 32 and 40 league games with potentially non-league games sprinkled in.Over the next few weeks, we will provide more information as far as league protocols to provide a safe playing and viewing environment this summer for all involved. Those practices will be communicated via our website, www.sunflowerbaseball.com, as well as our social media outlets. This summer may look a little different than the past, but we are committed to still try to play college summer baseball if we can do it safely.
Sincerely,
Casey Walkup
SCL Commissioner