2020 Dolphins Baseball: Undefeated...
The Dolphins varsity baseball team worked incredibly hard this spring and were set to be competitive with any team in our league. The Dolphins played two out of conference games under epically cold conditions in Roxboro before the regular season and presented themselves well with strong pitching by team Captains Dylan Esham and Jackson Strange and notable plate appearances by freshmen Chandler O’Neal and Wyatt Giagu. Then the Coronavirus pandemic changed our plans, cancelled our season, and defeated our dreams. James Earl Jones may have said it best in one of the greatest pieces of movie dialogue, “…baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again.” These words seem especially poignant today.
On Tuesday May 26th, the coaches held a small, socially distant ceremony at the Community Park to honor the senior players and their immediate families. Seniors Alan Doshier, Ethan O’Neal and David Styron, were presented with a personalized Louisville Slugger at Ocracoke’s own Field of Dreams.
Head Coach Jim McClain made a brief presentation at the ceremony. “The pandemic has stolen something precious from you: time, experiences and the fellowship of a team," he said. "This is sad. Perhaps the only grace that can come of this is a hard lesson. As you have your adult lives in front of you remember that waiting for: later, next season, someday… may never come.” Coach McClain expressed his recognition of each of the seniors as strong individuals and baseball players as he presented their bats.
The 2020 Dolphins Baseball team consisted of freshmen Max Elicker, Wyatt Giagu, and Chandler O’Neal; sophomores Julian Bennink, Jackson Strange, and Jayden West; juniors Dylan Esham, Parker Gaskill, and Christian Trejo; and the seniors: David Styron, Alan Doshier and Ethan O’Neal. Ernest Doshier served as a tireless and stalwart assistant coach.
We’ll be back next year!
