by Cassie Mattia

Columbus, Ohio – Athletes all over the state of Ohio are at a standstill as they wait to hear if their 2020 sport seasons will continue. Well the wait, for now, has ended as OHSAA announced last Wednesday that if school facilities reopen in early May Spring sports schedules and tournaments are in place and ready to go!

OHSAA’s Director of Communications, Tim Stried, and Executive Director, Jerry Snodgrass constructed and sent out a press release last Thursday addressing the state of Ohio’s concerns about high school athletes continuing their Spring sports schedules. Below are the plans OHSAA has put in place for Ohio High School Spring athletes.

“School facilities are closed through May 1 due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. If the closure is extended beyond May 1, the OHSAA will provide updated information. If school facilities do not reopen this school year, there will not be a spring sports season.

State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.

‘If the Governor and Ohio Department of Health deems it safe to reopen school facilities in early May, then we will have a shortened spring sports season that extends into June,’ said OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass. ‘I commend our sports administration staff for putting the schedules together working on state tournament sites.’

Wednesday’s memo to school administrators also included details regarding Pupil Activity/Coaching Permits, annual awards certificates, District Athletic Board elections and academic eligibility for fall sports and college-bound seniors. The memo is posted at https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/school-administrators-update-april-8

‘We continue to applaud each of you for helping provide guidance and leadership to your coaches and your efforts to keep students engaged,’ Snodgrass wrote to school administrators in the memo. ‘This crisis has heightened the awareness that students want to be back in the classroom. Teachers want students back in the classroom. In our solid belief that school-based athletic programs are an extension of the classroom, we hold that same belief for our student-athletes and coaches. Getting kids back with coaches is much more than winning and we feel it a vital part of returning life to normalcy.’

SPRING SPORTS OVERVIEW

– If school facilities are closed for the remainder of the school year, spring sports will be canceled.

– The dates below for each sport are tentative and are based on the Governor’s optimistic direction that schools will reopen May 4.  We will adjust accordingly.

– The mandatory no-contact period remains in place through May 1. No practices or group workouts may occur through this date, but the OHSAA encourages coaches to maintain electronic correspondence with their student-athletes.

– With a current return on May 4, the schedules below have been adopted for spring sports. Specific information relative to sectional and district tournaments, playing dates, seeding procedures, game sites, will all be provided in communications from the respective six District Athletic Boards.

– State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.

– If for any reason specific sites are shut down due to Governor’s orders, ALL sites will be shut down and tournaments will not be held.

BASEBALL

State tournament dates determined by the availability of Akron Canal Park.

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 11

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 17

Sectional Tournaments – May 23-30

District Tournaments – June 1-6

Regional Tournaments – June 11-12

State Tournament at Akron Canal Park (subject to change) – June 19-21

Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – June 27

SOFTBALL

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 24

Sectional Tournaments – May 30-June 6

District Tournaments – June 8-13

Regional Tournaments – June 15-20

State Tournament at Akron Firestone Stadium (subject to change) – June 25-27

Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – July 4

LACROSSE

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 25

Regional Qualifying – May 26-30

Regional Tournaments – June 1-7

State Semifinals – June 8-10

State Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University (subject to change) – June 13

Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – June 13

BOYS TENNIS

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 24

Sectional Tournaments – May 30-June 6

District Tournaments – June 8-13

State Tournament at Hilliard Davidson High School (subject to change) – June 18-20

Season Concludes (regular-season contests can be played up until this date) – June 27

TRACK AND FIELD

Athletic facilities at The Ohio State University will not be available in June, so the state tournament will be split into three different sites, per division. The details are below.

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 25

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 31

District Tournaments – June 9-13

Regional Tournaments – June 17-20

State Tournament – June 26-27

State Tournament Sites (subject to change): Division I at Hilliard Darby; Division II At Pickerington North; Division III at Westerville North

Season Concludes (regular-season meets can be held up until this date) – June 27″

For the latest news in the world of OHSAA, you can visit www.ohsaa.org. If you have any urgent questions about the tentative Spring sport plans contact Tim Stried at tstried@ohsaa.org.

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