Post by The Admin on May 4, 2021 14:39:44 GMT -6
OSSAA postpones slowpitch softball games to Wednesday due to field conditions
www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2021/05/04/ossaa-postpones-slowpitch-softball-games-due-field-conditions/4939061001/
www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2021/05/04/ossaa-postpones-slowpitch-softball-games-due-field-conditions/4939061001/
SHAWNEE –– Everything was going as planned.
The stadium was filled with fans eating concession stand food, the national anthem was played over the speakers and Class 3A Hydro-Eakly was crowned the academic champion.
But before taking the field, the teams were told to stay at their dugout. After a near 40-minute delay, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association announced the postponement of all of the slowpitch softball games due to the wet conditions of the fields.
"We started at 6 a.m. this morning and we really felt like we could get ready," OSSAA softball director Amy Cassell said. "The infields are ready, they look great but the outfields are real soft. We looked at them at 10 o'clock for the last time just to see and we just felt like it wasn't a safe surface for the kids."
The coaches were called and polled on whether to have a slight delay and play today or play a one-day tournament tomorrow before the final decision was made.
The announcement came after the Class 6A and 5A games were postponed due to the field conditions. The two classes were set to play on fields five and six, which were deemed worse than the other four fields the smaller classes were scheduled to play on. That decision came at 9:10 a.m. via a tweet from the OSSAA.
"I just made the call on 5A, 6A because the surfaces were just not good," Cassell said. "We started with delaying those fields and not starting until noon but they're just not playable. The infields are OK, but the outfields are very unsafe."
All the fans who bought a ticket for Tuesday will be able to use the ticket for Wednesday. If a fan is unable to attend the Wednesday games, they will be refunded using the GOFAN app.
All of the games will take place at the Ball Fields at Firelake in Shawnee. The schedules will be announced at 1 p.m. The games will start at 10 a.m. but the teams will have a different time slot from Tuesday.
"Game times will stay the same but the teams playing those games will change a bit," Cassell said. "because those that had to get up earlier to travel here this morning will get a break.
"We'll play all day until we have a champion. It'll be a lot of fun."
The stadium was filled with fans eating concession stand food, the national anthem was played over the speakers and Class 3A Hydro-Eakly was crowned the academic champion.
But before taking the field, the teams were told to stay at their dugout. After a near 40-minute delay, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association announced the postponement of all of the slowpitch softball games due to the wet conditions of the fields.
"We started at 6 a.m. this morning and we really felt like we could get ready," OSSAA softball director Amy Cassell said. "The infields are ready, they look great but the outfields are real soft. We looked at them at 10 o'clock for the last time just to see and we just felt like it wasn't a safe surface for the kids."
The coaches were called and polled on whether to have a slight delay and play today or play a one-day tournament tomorrow before the final decision was made.
The announcement came after the Class 6A and 5A games were postponed due to the field conditions. The two classes were set to play on fields five and six, which were deemed worse than the other four fields the smaller classes were scheduled to play on. That decision came at 9:10 a.m. via a tweet from the OSSAA.
"I just made the call on 5A, 6A because the surfaces were just not good," Cassell said. "We started with delaying those fields and not starting until noon but they're just not playable. The infields are OK, but the outfields are very unsafe."
All the fans who bought a ticket for Tuesday will be able to use the ticket for Wednesday. If a fan is unable to attend the Wednesday games, they will be refunded using the GOFAN app.
All of the games will take place at the Ball Fields at Firelake in Shawnee. The schedules will be announced at 1 p.m. The games will start at 10 a.m. but the teams will have a different time slot from Tuesday.
"Game times will stay the same but the teams playing those games will change a bit," Cassell said. "because those that had to get up earlier to travel here this morning will get a break.
"We'll play all day until we have a champion. It'll be a lot of fun."
