{"id":20214,"date":"2020-06-27T19:42:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-27T23:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=20214"},"modified":"2020-06-27T21:34:23","modified_gmt":"2020-06-28T01:34:23","slug":"sports-at-miami-dade-college-scheduled-to-return-this-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/sports-at-miami-dade-college-scheduled-to-return-this-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Sporting Events At Miami Dade College Scheduled To Return This Fall Semester"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Heidi Perez-Moreno and \u00a0Jose Tovar<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been more than three months since the baseball and softball seasons at Miami Dade College<\/a><\/span> were cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

This fall<\/span>\u2014<\/span>sports are finally making a comeback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Florida College System\u2019s Council of Presidents approved the Council of Athletic Affairs\u2019 plan to bring sports back starting in August during its monthly meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s definitely going to be challenging for all of us to ensure that we do have the right plans and procedures in place to make sure that our employees and student-athletes are safe,\u201d said MDC Athletic Director Alysia Dyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Softball and baseball will start practice on Aug. 31\u2014three weeks later than last year. Both teams will play scrimmages from Sept. 5 to Oct. 31. If all goes as planned, they will play regular season games in January.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their seasons were postponed last year on March 13.<\/a><\/span> The baseball team finished 17-6 during the abbreviated season and the softball team was 10-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI missed it a lot,\u201d said Sharks\u2019 first baseman Sujel Arias-Auzon, a rising sophomore. \u201cI feel anxious to be back on the field with the new players and my old teammates. I think now we have to appreciate every minute we have on the field together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams will start practicing on Sept. 14 and officially start their seasons on Oct. 16. Last year, the teams started training at the beginning of October, and the regular season began in November.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Volleyball was the only team that was able to stick to their regular schedule. Their season is slated to begin Aug. 22 and finish before Nov. 26.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The CAA will require players, coaches, officials, statisticians and score table staff to undergo a temperature check and answer a health questionnaire to determine if they have coronavirus symptoms before each game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teams can\u2019t shake hands before or after games. Hand sanitizer must be readily available for both teams at the scorer\u2019s table or in each dugout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Volleyball players will not be allowed to switch benches during alternating sets. Teams can only use three balls during games to accelerate the pace and reduce the number of players that come in contact with the ball.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The CAA said schools must reschedule games if someone on the team is diagnosed with the coronavirus. The organization also strongly recommends that state colleges adhere to several recommendations, including the following:<\/span><\/p>\n