Sydney Parr and Braxton Burnside are still trying to adjust to being off the field at a time when, for many years, they would have been in the middle of their softball seasons.
The University of Arkansas players are not accustomed to being away from the chatter of teammates as the calendar moves into spring, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything.
“As athletes, we have been wired for so long to have these extremely busy schedules from the weight room to class to practice to putting in extra work,” said Parr, a senior from North Little Rock. “So I’m not going to lie, the first week at home was an adjustment. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not used to this.’”
After the initial shock of seeing their season come to an abrupt halt three weeks ago, they have come to grips with the decision and understand the significance of social isolation, but it hasn’t made it any easier, Burnside said.
“I think most of all it was just shock because I didn’t think or imagine it having the impact that it did,” the junior from Paragould said. “We found out that we were going to play without fans. Then we found out the season was going to be suspended for a while and all of the sudden people were just dying. Honestly, I didn’t have time to take it in and put it in perspective. The first thing that happened, I was shocked and the next thing happened and it’s just worse and worse.
“To be honest, I’m still at this point it doesn’t really sink in that this year is over. All of these pretty days we’re having outside it feels so weird that I’m home in March and April when I should be on the softball field.”
When the season was canceled in mid-March for all spring NCAA sports, the decision left athletes in limbo. For the seniors, their college careers were suddenly over months before they would have been.
The NCAA took that into consideration and this week approved a measure granting athletes in spring sports like baseball and softball an extra year of eligibility. The move is for all athletes in spring sports, not just seniors. So Burnside would now have two seasons of eligibility and Parr would have the opportunity to return for one season.
Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel said she expects all six seniors to return under this new ruling, which could mean a 28-player roster for next season.
“We’re still waiting to hear all the details on how all of that is going to unfold,” said Deifel of the NCAA eligibility rule, “but just more than anything, I’m happy with the decision because it gives all of our student-athletes a choice more than anything.
“I’m excited to get another year with our seniors. As of right now, they all want to come back.”
Burnside will return next season, but has not made a decision after that, she said.
“To be honest, I have not put that much thought into it because I’m trying to take it day by day,” she said. “This next year would be my fifth year and then that extra year of eligibility would be my sixth year, so that’s a decision I don’t have to make right now. That’s a decision I’m just going to kind of let come to me. I think if I made that decision right now, I’d be trying to see too far into the future.
“I don’t know how next year’s going to go. I’m just trying to take it day by day and not get too ahead of myself, just try to enjoy it while I can.
“After my fifth year, if I want to go ahead and extend my career into that sixth year, then I will most certainly do it. I’m just not going to make the decision yet.
“I’m already in grad school, so I’m just trying to stick with my school and get through this fifth year and then, honestly, I’m just going to see where the decision takes me and see how it’s going.”
Deifel said she could have nine pitchers on the roster next season if everyone returns coupled with the incoming recruiting class.
And although she admits the roster management would be a challenge, it’s one she said she’d gladly take on as it gives the players their lost season back.
There is also the issue of the scholarship restraints that have to be addressed. Under NCAA rules, there are 12 scholarships available for softball. A 28-player roster and no changes to the scholarship limit could create even more challenges, Deifel said.
“Being completely honest, this changes everything,” Deifel said. “When we set out to map out our recruiting, we’re expecting this freshman class to replace the senior class, not play with the senior class.
“So there are different things we’re going to have to work through. We have four pitchers, some in this freshman class, and only one is a pitcher-only, the other three play positions and pitch.
“So with keeping Autumn (Storms) and hopefully Lauren Graves as well, we’ll have nine pitchers on our staff next year. So that’s something we’ll have to work through. So it does change everything.”
Burnside and Parr are trying to adjust to the new normal of working out at home while taking online classes for the remainder of the spring semester.
“To be honest, it’s weird that I’m home and not playing softball and I’m still in school, so it’s like I’m staying in a routine of getting up, doing some school work,” Burnside said. “I’m working out every day, hitting every day, throwing every day, just trying to stay in the swing of things.”
Both players have been involved in the sport for years, starting as youngsters in travel ball then through high school and college.
Having the season end in the manner it did has flipped their entire life upside down, Parr said.
“It is terrible sitting at home during this time because for as long as I can think back, I would be playing softball during this time,” she said.
“Right now, we’re supposed to be putting on our uniforms taking on Tulsa in a midweek game. To not be out on the field and to not be competing with my team and against another team, it’s heartbreaking. It’s not fun to think about.”