Story by Adam Correa and Hayley Lawson

On March 2, Director of Communications Julie Lanthier Bandy released a statement announcing that community colleges in San Diego County have chosen to opt-out of competitive spring sports this semester, which includes baseball.

There are a number of factors why the decision to cancel baseball at Palomar College this spring was made, but the main reason was COVID-19. Due to the current status of the pandemic in the county, they have to shut down the baseball facilities at Palomar.

This news hurts a lot of the current Palomar Baseball players that are looking to transfer to a university this fall semester.

Kevin Michaels, a second-year infielder, said over email, “The feeling I experienced when I heard the news was like everything just came crashing down on me. Although I had been expecting and preparing for the news of cancellation, it was still very deflating nevertheless.”

Michaels plans on transferring to UC Davis this fall and feels lucky to still have that opportunity.

“Having been through everything we have as a team over the last 6 months, we have become a very flexible and resilient group. It is tough on myself, Coach Adams, and all my peers because baseball is more than a game to a lot of us,” Michaels said.

Axel Dobreff, who will be 21 years old in two days, is a right-handed pitcher for the Palomar Comets. He has been at Palomar since Fall 2019 and moved to San Marcos from Stockholm, Sweden.

“The news of the cancellation was truly disappointing. I’m trying to make the most of the situation to be as strong as possible when it comes time to set foot on the field and play ball,” Dobreff said over text.

Dobreff says that with this cancelled season, it raises a problem for him to be seen by scouts and coaches at four-year universities, but is still optimistic.

“They can see our training videos, but they can’t see us compete in game. Performing in practice and performing in game are two very different things,” Dobreff said.

Regarding the coaching staff’s reaction to this news, he said, “The decision was tough on the team as a whole, including the coaching staff. However we may feel about it, what’s done is done, and Coach is looking towards the next step.”

Dobreff still has not committed to a university for the fall but wants to stay in Southern California.

The Telescope reached out to the Head Coach of Palomar Baseball, Ben Adams, but did not get a response.