OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — After the COVID-19 pandemic took away their senior seasons, the Piper Pirates softball team hatched a plan to provide one final opportunity for them to play together.
It led to an emotional afternoon Thursday for as the “One Last Game” event took place at the Blue Valley Recreation Sports Complex in Overland Park.
“It feels great," Piper senior Emma Martin said. "It’s just a great experience, and it just put a smile on my face."
It brought others to tears.
“The tears definitely hit when we hit the ball field and we saw that 'One Last Game,'" Kim Romary, the mother of a Shawnee Mission North player, said. "So feeling that today."
Piper senior second baseman Bella Gravatt had the idea for the tournament.
“All of us, when we found out (the season was canceled), we were just devastated when our whole season was gone, and I didn’t think we’d ever get to play with these girls ever again,” she said.
Gravatt said her mother encouraged her to figure out a way to play softball with her team again, so she sent an email to Midwest Sports Productions about putting together a tournament.
“As soon as we got it, we said, 'Absolutely, yes,' and then we hit the ground running on putting this together,” Brittany Hile, who works for Midwest Sports Productions, said.
Thirty-one teams from the Kansas side of the state line agreed to play.
For Piper, it was the first game under a new head coach.
“I was super excited for this group," Pirates coach Rachel Milnark said. "Not only were we going to be a really solid team, but the girls were just hardworking with good attitudes."
Piper and other teams across Kansas had only had two weeks of practice before the pandemic ended the season prematurely.
“We really wanted a chance at state again, with (Milnark) especially, and we just didn’t get the chance to play with her or have her as our coach, so we were disappointed,” Pirates senior Chloe Rogers said.
After the games, Midwest Sports Productions hosted a banquet Thursday meant to mimic the senior night the players never had.
We want to “spotlight the seniors over there, have a nice little program, feed them and have a little senior gift for them — just kind of make them feel special and give them some closure that they weren’t able to have during their season,” Hile said.
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, certain guidelines had to be followed at the ball park.
The bleachers were removed and fans had to bring their own chairs to sit in. Social distancing and wearing face masks was encouraged, and teams were not allowed to shake hands after the games.
