The NCAA granted spring athletes an extra year of eligibility after the coronavirus pandemic shut down spring college sports in 2020. For Belhaven University softball player Marissa Rice, a junior catcher from El Dorado, it’s a ray of light during an otherwise dreary time.
“Getting an extra year to play is a huge deal for all athletes, but more specifically the seniors,” Rice said. “Once we got the news that our season was over, we were all devastated. But I could not imagine what was running through the seniors’ minds at that point. When we heard it was a possibility the seniors could get another year, we were excited. I did not expect for everyone to get another year of eligibility, but I am so excited we get to. Sadly, some of our seniors won’t take the extra year. One of our seniors is starting medical school next year, so she will not be back, but Belhaven is working hard with our seniors, in every sport, to see what can be done.”
For Rice, who has a double major in History and Psychology, the extra year and what she will do with it is still to be determined. She said she was already on track to graduate early.
“With me possibly playing a fifth year, we’re not quite sure what all my options are just yet,” she said. “I may stay and get my masters from Belhaven, or it is a possibility that I may stop next year, and hopefully find a graduate assistant job somewhere, so I can coach and get my masters. My goal is to play the extra year, because I can’t imagine hanging my cleats up yet.”
When this season was cut short, Belhaven, located in Jackson, Mississippi, was in the middle of an amazing run with a 14-3 record, including an eight-game winning streak. The team was in a tournament in Florida when the news broke.
“While I understand that the decision was the best decision to make and public health is the most important, it was still heartbreaking having our season taken away,” Rice said. “We had run-ruled the 15th ranked team in the country for Division III softball, and the other two games we played well. Honestly, I truly believe our team could have made a run for the National Tournament, and there is no doubt in my mind we would have been top three in our conference. I also believe we could have won our conference.”
Rice batted .286 in 14 games this season. Defensively, she was a stabilizing force behind the plate. She owned a 1.000 fielding percentage, committing zero errors on 29 chances. She had 28 putouts and one assist.
Rice began playing consistently as a sophomore. That’s also when injuries began to impact her on-the-field performance. She had a labrum repair in her hip during the fall but still managed to play all season.
“This past summer I had my left hip labrum tear fixed and was excited to be able to play a season fully healed. I found out that I will need a third surgery to have scar tissue fixed,” she said. “But with Belhaven, everyone has been so helpful with the recovery process I have had to go through. We have amazing trainers and our coaches want us to be as healthy as possible.”
Rice said she’s trying to be as positive as possible during the sports lockdown. The challenge is staying active physically and still getting classwork done without actually going to class.
“A lot of people are wondering what us college students are doing on this ‘break.’ I know my professors are not treating this as any break,” she said. “Belhaven wants us to get our education, so our teachers are going above and beyond trying to get us the information we need. Now without softball practice everyday, I am getting to focus extra on my schoolwork, as well as resting my hip, as well as working to get better. Our weights coach sent us a workout that we can do at home, since most gyms are closed. So currently I am running, working out at home, and focusing on schoolwork. But I am more than ready to get back on the softball field.”
And, of course, the NCAA’s consolation prize of an extra year could come in handy.
“The NCAA has blessed us with the opportunity to get our eligibility back, and I am so excited and thankful. But in this difficult time, my heart goes out to all the high school seniors who were supposed to play their last season this year,” Rice said. “My senior season was amazing and getting to play on the Lady Cat softball field as a senior was amazing, and I wish that all spring athletes, not just softball, were able to get their chances. We are facing a difficult time ahead of us, and us athletes, who use sports as a stress relief, are having to find new ways to cope. But, the goal is for public safety.”