FERRUM, Va. – It was a game unlike any other that proved to be bigger than the game of baseball itself.
“I’ve been a part of some special days on a ball field, but you can’t top what happened on Friday night,” said Ferrum College assistant baseball coach Ben Austin.
With all athletics put on hold due to the coronavirus, Ferrum wanted to honor its stellar class of eight seniors.
The college did just so on Friday night, playing an intersquad scrimmage, seniors against underclassmen.
“This really rallied the most creative and innovative piece of who we are as a community to come up with something not only that was meaningful but, truly powerful,” said Ferrum College president David Johns.
A truly surreal moment for this special group, knowing this could be the last time they could go to bat or take the mound as a Panther.
“You really can’t beat that. Having everyone together, knowing we just played four years together, four years of our lives living together and struggling together and to have one night all together meant the most to us,” said senior infielder Kyle Anstice.
The game itself was a dandy as the seniors overcame a 4-2 deficit to comeback for a walk-off win via a balk -- proving to be a win not only on the diamond, but a win for the seniors who have contributed to the roar of the Panthers, the past four years.
“To come here as a little freshman, I didn’t know what to expect and to create the friendships I made and the memories that I have, it’s something I’ll never take for granted,” said senior catcher Tim Ortega.