Boise State baseball broke 40-year drought — and then was shut down. ‘They were totally lost’
One day before the NCAA canceled all spring sports because of the spread of coronavirus, Boise State baseball coach Gary Van Tol called an emergency team meeting to brace his players for what was coming.
Reactions ranged from anger to sadness, with plenty of confusion.
“They were totally lost, not knowing what direction to go,” Van Tol said Saturday by phone. “It was my responsibility to give them some clarity and give them some options and get them to sit down and make some life decision on what to do next.”
For the 27 underclassmen on the roster — 19 of whom are freshmen — losing more than half a season’s worth of games hurts, but their college careers will go on.
When it comes to four of the team’s five redshirt seniors, their fates are in the NCAA’s hands. The organization will vote March 30 on whether to give spring athletes an extra year of eligibility, but Van Tol said when or if players get to take the field again is secondary right now.
“This is about real life now. Baseball is a nonfactor,” said Van Tol, who led the first Boise State baseball team in 40 years. “That’s why as older people, you always remind younger people, ‘Don’t take anything for granted, and play every day like it’s going to be your last.’ We had some of those real-life conversations with some of our guys this week.”
Van Tol said none of his players are still on campus. Some went home. Others are still living in off-campus apartments. Freshman Joe Yorke was the last to leave the dorms. Hailing from San Jose, California, he was one of the players who didn’t go home. The state of California is under a stay-at-home order for the next two weeks.
Freshman Grant Kerry, who hails from England, is one of 10 players Van Tol said will ride out the virus in Boise. That list also includes Boise natives Kase Ogata and Christian Padilla and redshirt junior Myles Harris, who is from Moraga, California.
Van Tol said the team held workouts March 13 — the day after the NCAA canceled all remaining winter championships and spring seasons. Up until 5 p.m. Friday, he still had regular contact with players who were in town. Boise State announced Friday that there was to be no in-person contact between coaches and players, though, so Van Tol has turned to remote means.
“There has been a lot of phone calls with parents, families and players, a lot of frantic conversations and trying to calm people down,” Van Tol said.
Life discussions
Two weeks before spring sports were shut down, Van Tol and catcher Corey Meyer sat down for what the skipper called “a life discussion.”
Meyer, already well into his final year of eligibility, had no idea what he was going to do after graduation. As more COVID-19 cases continue to pop up locally and around the world, he’s one of Boise State’s seniors faced with making those life-altering decisions sooner than anticipated.
Meyer, outfielder Michael Hicks and pitchers Jordan Britton and Cameron Sommer are redshirt seniors, and they’re eagerly awaiting the NCAA’s decision on offering an extra year of eligibility.
Pitcher Jake Nelson is also a redshirt senior, but he found out the same day Van Tol called his emergency meeting that he has already been granted a sixth year.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2016 and missing most of the next three seasons, Nelson pitched just one inning for the Broncos this spring. Van Tol said the team appealed for his sixth year in the fall.
For the rest of his seniors, Van Tol assured them that if the NCAA makes an extra year available, they will be welcomed back. But he said those were difficult phone calls to make.
“That was the last thing they were ready to have conversations about,” he said. “It was a gut check, and I just told them I would do whatever I could to help.”
Van Tol said Hicks was receiving interest from a couple of professional organizations, but with the MLB suspending operations, the start of his professional career is in a holding pattern.
He also said Meyer and Britton likely will be around next season anyway as they finish their master’s degrees.
“I think at the very least, the seniors should be offered another year of eligibility and let each program have discussions with those seniors and make those decisions,” Van Tol said.
Van Tol figures granting an extra year of eligibility is the right thing to do. He’s just not sure it’s a realistic option for all. He said the financial implications of expanded roster sizes alone make it unrealistic for most programs.
“There are some programs that aren’t even fully funded to 11.7 (scholarships), so they can’t come up with any extra resources,” he said. “I don’t envy the NCAA because they have a tough decision to make, but they have to make a decision because this affects everybody.”
The possibility of players returning for a sixth year has already had an impact on recruiting.
Van Tol said Meyer was open right away to the idea of returning, which left him in the awkward position of having to call catchers he was recruiting for 2021 and tell them they may not have a spot.
“I gave them an update out of respect,” Van Tol said. “This thing affects every piece of our roster, from the older players to the recruits.”
Van Tol is skeptical about summer or fall baseball seasons. He said, like in most programs, all of his players are already committed to summer baseball leagues, so that won’t work. And competition with college football and the weather make the the fall a tough sell.
What he would like to see is an expansion of the two fall scrimmages teams are allowed. The Broncos have Washington State and NNU coming in this fall, but Van Tol said games against other regional teams, such as BYU or Utah, would help make up for the game experience players all over the country are losing.
Season accolades
Boise State’s season came to an end earlier than anyone could have imagined, but the Broncos did earn some national accolades in their first year back on the diamond.
When the season’s final RPI rankings were released Thursday, the Broncos came in at No. 148 out of 301 teams nationwide. They were ranked behind Mountain West rivals San Diego State and New Mexico but, with a 9-5 record, Boise State was ahead of 10 teams from Power Five conferences.
Boise State also had four players finish in the top 35 of D1baseball.com’s ranking of the top freshman hitters in the country.
Matthew Farman ranked No. 5 nationally after starting four games and going 7-for-17 at the plate with two doubles and a home run for a .706 slugging percentage.
Reagan Doss (No. 21) homered on the first pitch he saw as a Bronco. Making seven starts, he batted .333 with a double and two homers. Ogata (No. 23) batted .357 and recorded a .643 slugging percentage with two doubles and two home runs.
Torin Montgomery (No. 33) started 13 of 14 games and led Boise State with three home runs. His 16 hits and .308 batting average were second on the squad. He collected three doubles and two triples and finished with a .615 slugging percentage.
