BOISE, Idaho — There was a buzz in the air, and the excitement was real as the Boise State Broncos brought baseball back for the first time in 40 years.
On top of that, the team was good. The Broncos went 9-5 and got dubbed by D1baseball.com as the most surprising team in the Mountain West Conference.
"We trusted ourselves to go win ball games, we were winning ball games, and when it got taken, it was a shock to everybody," said freshman infielder Torin Montgomery.
But we all know what happened, Boise State canceled all of their spring sports and the buzz that was Broncos baseball came to an abrupt end, but how the team found out is a crazy story itself.
"After the game against Niagara, they didn't shake hands with us; they kind of waved from the third-base dugout, and we waved from our dugout," said freshman first baseman Joe Yorke. "We went in the clubhouse and thought that was kind of weird, and then we found out after the game Niagara had completely ended all their spring sports and sure enough the Mountain West followed in the next couple of days, but the timing was just so weird."
Both players tell us they are doing good and adjusting to this new reality, even though practicing isn't really an option because of social distancing.
So skipper Gary Van Tol has encouraged his team to work on the mental side of the game while also stressing the importance of working out in preparation for next season.
"For a lot of us, we don't have access to a cage right now," said Yorke. "For me personally and I know for a majority of our guys it's about working out and staying in shape."
The NCAA has also granted student-athletes who play spring sports an extra year of eligibility. Montgomery told us that seniors Cory Meyer and Michael Hicks will return next year, Hicks was named as the best senior in the Mountain West by D1 Baseball.
"It's going to be huge for us, and it could be the difference with our leadership and our team chemistry," said Montgomery. "We are so excited to get those guys back on the field."
The original dirty dozen waited a year before the baseball season returned to Boise State, now they have to play the waiting game again, but at least they know the community supports baseball and they showed they can really play.
