The Gavilan College softball team had their gear packed, ready
to make the trip to West Valley College for a conference game
Thursday afternoon. Well, most of the team was ready.
The Gavilan College softball team had their gear packed, ready to make the trip to West Valley College for a conference game Thursday afternoon. Well, most of the team was ready.
But Athletic Director Ron Hannon informed the softball players that they would not be allowed to play the final three road games and final home game to end the season because there was a possibility of not having enough players to field a team.
“Out of consideration to the opposing teams and the rest of the conference, we are withdrawing from the remaining games this season,” Hannon said. “Some of the women are juggling jobs and children as well as their classes. I appreciate the fact that students with so many responsibilities were willing to take on another commitment, but in the end it’s not fair to the other teams.”
If a team knows the opponent is not going to show up, it won’t have to hire the umpires and prepare the field, Hannon said.
College President Steve Kinsella added that “while it is a disappointment that the team will not be able to finish the season, it is the right thing to do.”
Four games had to be canceled this season because not enough players were available to participate, Hannon said, and three of the four games were within the last couple of weeks. It was uncertain whether enough players would be available to play the remaining games.
“I was disappointed,” said three-year coach Tim Kenworthy. “We really enjoyed coaching these young ladies. And I think they would have wanted to finish the season as well. We had nine ready to go today, and we could have played the game.”
The ninth player showed up late, but the decision was already made.
Kenworthy said the season shouldn’t have been canceled, because forfeits are a common occurrence among community colleges.
“It is not an uncommon thing at the junior college level,” Kenworthy said. “Athletes get sick, and they have jobs. There have been a lot of junior colleges that have had to forfeit a game here or there because of little things that come up.”
The Rams had won two of their last three games.
“We’ve been playing very well over the last two or three weeks,” Kenworthy said. “We had some very close games with some of the top teams in the conference.”
The softball team has matured a lot this year, Kenworthy said.
“We had a number of players who hadn’t played softball and were filling in at different positions,” Kenworthy said. “But I saw a lot of growth – both in our hitting and in the field. We made a lot of progress through the course of the season.”
The Rams won 16 games last year and eight this year.
“We’ve worked really hard over the last three years to build this program,” Kenworthy said. “We have had a lot of support from the community. We have won over 30 ball games in the last two years, which is better than Gavilan has done in the last 20 years.”
The decision to withdraw from the final four games will not affect the team next year, Hannon said.
“I don’t see it as a major setback,” Hannon said. “We’re not committed to a part-time program. We’re going to start building for next year. It is not about if we will offer softball or not. We will have softball.”
Although Hannon understands athletes have other obligations, he said the rebuilding has got to start with a commitment.
“I hope future athletes – both male and female – will see that we are committed to putting together a competitive team that plays consistently day in and day out. If we are going to do it, let’s do it right. It’s not about winning or losing, but about being committed and consistent in what we do.”
