The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the athletic world for a loop, from players to coaches to fans and everyone in between. For Endicott College softball coach Katie Bettencourt, the entire experience has been a whirlwind of emotion, adaptation and looking ahead.
The Gulls were just three days away from throwing the first pitch of their 2020 season when the pandemic forced everything to shut down, and not long after they found out their entire season had been canceled.
“We were told on a Wednesday that our opening games had been canceled for that Friday, and then a week later the season was gone,” said Bettencourt, who led Endicott to a Commonwealth Coast Conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2019. “Everything was a whirlwind from that point, and it was heartbreaking for the seniors. Almost all of them already had post-graduate plans, so it was hard to see their collegiate careers end on that note.”
But another effect that the shutdown had on collegiate programs was the effect on recruiting, much of which was ground to nearly a halt in the early days of the pandemic. Despite having slightly looser restrictions than their counterparts in Division I, the Division III Gulls still had their own troubles navigating the limited softball landscape.
“It was very challenging at the beginning for sure,” Bettencourt said of recruiting. “Even as the country started to open up Massachusetts was still pretty stringent on the rules, up until about mid-June everything was virtual and we were watching games on live streams.”
Eventually, softball leagues and showcases started to sprout up by the end of June, and up until August Bettencourt was able to recruit in person.
“It was nice to get a little bit back to some normalcy,” said Bettencourt, who is 66-13 as Endicott’s coach.
But in addition to recruiting, Bettencourt and her staff have had the challenge of keeping the current team — which includes locals like Lynn’s Michaela Hamill, Swampscott’s Katie Watts and Danvers’ Hannah Llewellyn — together and focused during a time where the pandemic has forced everyone apart.
“Not to sound cliche, but I think going through everything we’ve gone through since March has really brought us all closer together,” said Bettencourt. “We’ve done a ton of virtual work over the course of the summer, and we actually were able to get out on the practice field and practice with restrictions in place this fall. We eventually worked all the way up to having an intrasquad scrimmage, and we held about 10 more practices than we normally would in the fall.”
Looking ahead, Endicott will welcome in a host of new recruits — including Lynnfield’s Chloe Shapleigh, who committed to the Gulls last week — and hopefully embark on a new season in March 2021.
“I think the biggest thing in terms of us having a season will be how the numbers (of COVID-19 cases) look when we get back from winter break, so we’re hoping everything will be okay in that area,” said Bettencourt. “Almost all of the girls are home for the holidays now, but the gym is open for them to get their work in and we’re just hoping for the best going forward.”