Photo by: Jeremy Fleming
The Gift Of Baseball
5/22/2020 12:30:00 PM | Baseball
The 2020 Spartans reflect on unique situation.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Back on March 12, the Michigan State baseball team was gearing up for a trip down to Terre Haute to take on the Indiana State for a weekend series.
Then, the world stopped.
The Spartans, along with every other college baseball team in the country, found out their 2020 season had just been canceled - only 15 games in - due to the COVID-19 outbreak and world pandemic.
"We were playing good ball and looking forward to conference play," said Bailey Peterson, a senior infielder from Grandville, Michigan. "We were excited to see where this thing would go."
Under normal circumstances, the cancellation would mean Peterson and four other Spartan baseball seniors would have ended their career. Some will be back for a do-over senior year, as the NCAA granted another year of eligibility to all spring athletes, and others have decided to forward with their lives.
For some seniors, that means putting their lives after baseball on hold for another chance to go out on a high note on the diamond. For others, their careers have ended in the most anticlimactic fashion.
"From my end of it, I wanted to give the seniors the option for anything," said MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. "The guys were pretty down when we told them, but this is the right decision for public health and for everyone's safety. We always talk about controlling what we can control, and this isn't one of those things.
"I'd like to have every one of those guys back, but the decision was totally theirs to make. They've all done a heck of a job representing Michigan State baseball in their time here. Some have jobs waiting for them. Others were going to be here anyway, so it's really a case by case basis that these guys decided."
One of the guys that had a job waiting for him was senior outfielder Bryce Kelley from Rockford, Michigan. He decided to stay at MSU one more year after speaking with his future boss.
"He said that I have one more year to play and the rest of my life to work," Kelley said. "That really hit home with me. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with my guys for one more year. I won't be able to retain this position, but I will be able to apply for other positions within the company.
"I feel like I have a good enough relationship with them to make that happen, and to be able to go on one more run with the guys was something I couldn't pass up."
Peterson will also be returning to play one more year, but his situation is a little different. He was already planning on being at MSU for the 2021 season as a student assistant, so the opportunity to play one more year made sense for him. Peterson missed 22 games during the 2019 season due to a wrist injury and was not fully healthy the entire season.
"The biggest thing for me is that I feel like I have unfinished business," Peterson said. "Playing your last game is something you look forward to. You have time to get to that point and you have time to mentally prepare for that moment."
Both Peterson and Kelley were off to a great start in the 2020 campaign. They were the only two Spartans to start all 15 games this year, and both were hitting over .400 on the season. Kelley was sixth in the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.486), and was eight stolen bases away from breaking Anthony Cheky's school record of 79.
Peterson was second in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally with a .441 batting average and was also second in the conference in on-base percentage (.528). Kelley and Peterson were in a great spot both mentally and physically before the cancellation of the season, so now the challenge is to transfer that confidence into next season.
"Baseball is such a mental game," Peterson said. "I know what I'm capable of when healthy. Being able to see what health translates to this year was really good, so now I've just got to maintain that."
There's also a larger vocal leadership role waiting for the two of them next season.
"I've texted a lot of my teammates recently to check in," Kelley said. "People have thought that it was a little odd to hear from me in that way, but as an older guy it feels like my responsibility. This is the first time in 15 years that I haven't been with a team during this spring season, so it's been a real adjustment for me to keep things normal."
There are also the obvious physical challenges of being away from campus quarantined in their hometowns.
"The strength and conditioning staff have sent us a lot of stuff," Kelley said. "I have my tee at home, and honestly I've just been swinging to keep my mind off all this stuff. Trying to stay in a routine, running on the treadmill, doing things like that."
Some seniors made the decision to forgo the extra year of eligibility to move on from baseball. Caleb Sleeman, a pitcher off to a great start this season with a 2-1 record and 2.00 ERA in 26 innings, decided to hang it up. His decision was not made lightly.
"I'm getting married in July, and this was already going to be my fifth year anyway," said Sleeman, a native of Alto, Michigan. "I love MSU, and it was truly a gift to play baseball here. But now, I'm going to be experiencing the gift of marriage, which is going to be a beautiful next chapter for me.
"This whole thing ended a few months before I was expecting, but it's time for new things. When you're around people for five years, you tend to build strong relationships. This is the first spring in almost 20 years that I haven't been playing baseball. There's definitely some mourning over the loss of baseball."
Boss has experienced more than one lost baseball season due to the pandemic. His son, Jake Boss V, was gearing up for his senior season at Haslett High School this spring.
"My heart breaks for him," Boss said. "He's going to go on and play at Hope College, so his baseball career isn't over, but your senior year of high school is such a special time. The season itself, going to the prom, being recognized for all of your hard work both on and off the field, walking at graduation, he's missing all of that.
"As hard as this is, it's not the worst thing that could happen in the grand scheme of things. He's been working hard, he's been in the garage hitting and staying in shape to play at Hope next year. I'm just really proud of him and his attitude. This too shall pass. In 10, 15, 20 years, these are the stories he can tell his kids."
Whether they decided to stay in East Lansing for another year or move on, the cancellation of the season has certainly provided everyone with some good perspective.
"I was never owed the opportunity to play baseball at Michigan State," Sleeman said. "Now, more than ever, I recognize it as a great gift."
Then, the world stopped.
The Spartans, along with every other college baseball team in the country, found out their 2020 season had just been canceled - only 15 games in - due to the COVID-19 outbreak and world pandemic.
"We were playing good ball and looking forward to conference play," said Bailey Peterson, a senior infielder from Grandville, Michigan. "We were excited to see where this thing would go."
Under normal circumstances, the cancellation would mean Peterson and four other Spartan baseball seniors would have ended their career. Some will be back for a do-over senior year, as the NCAA granted another year of eligibility to all spring athletes, and others have decided to forward with their lives.
For some seniors, that means putting their lives after baseball on hold for another chance to go out on a high note on the diamond. For others, their careers have ended in the most anticlimactic fashion.
"From my end of it, I wanted to give the seniors the option for anything," said MSU baseball head coach Jake Boss Jr. "The guys were pretty down when we told them, but this is the right decision for public health and for everyone's safety. We always talk about controlling what we can control, and this isn't one of those things.
"I'd like to have every one of those guys back, but the decision was totally theirs to make. They've all done a heck of a job representing Michigan State baseball in their time here. Some have jobs waiting for them. Others were going to be here anyway, so it's really a case by case basis that these guys decided."
One of the guys that had a job waiting for him was senior outfielder Bryce Kelley from Rockford, Michigan. He decided to stay at MSU one more year after speaking with his future boss.
"He said that I have one more year to play and the rest of my life to work," Kelley said. "That really hit home with me. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with my guys for one more year. I won't be able to retain this position, but I will be able to apply for other positions within the company.
"I feel like I have a good enough relationship with them to make that happen, and to be able to go on one more run with the guys was something I couldn't pass up."
Peterson will also be returning to play one more year, but his situation is a little different. He was already planning on being at MSU for the 2021 season as a student assistant, so the opportunity to play one more year made sense for him. Peterson missed 22 games during the 2019 season due to a wrist injury and was not fully healthy the entire season.
"The biggest thing for me is that I feel like I have unfinished business," Peterson said. "Playing your last game is something you look forward to. You have time to get to that point and you have time to mentally prepare for that moment."
Both Peterson and Kelley were off to a great start in the 2020 campaign. They were the only two Spartans to start all 15 games this year, and both were hitting over .400 on the season. Kelley was sixth in the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.486), and was eight stolen bases away from breaking Anthony Cheky's school record of 79.
Peterson was second in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally with a .441 batting average and was also second in the conference in on-base percentage (.528). Kelley and Peterson were in a great spot both mentally and physically before the cancellation of the season, so now the challenge is to transfer that confidence into next season.
"Baseball is such a mental game," Peterson said. "I know what I'm capable of when healthy. Being able to see what health translates to this year was really good, so now I've just got to maintain that."
There's also a larger vocal leadership role waiting for the two of them next season.
"I've texted a lot of my teammates recently to check in," Kelley said. "People have thought that it was a little odd to hear from me in that way, but as an older guy it feels like my responsibility. This is the first time in 15 years that I haven't been with a team during this spring season, so it's been a real adjustment for me to keep things normal."
There are also the obvious physical challenges of being away from campus quarantined in their hometowns.
"The strength and conditioning staff have sent us a lot of stuff," Kelley said. "I have my tee at home, and honestly I've just been swinging to keep my mind off all this stuff. Trying to stay in a routine, running on the treadmill, doing things like that."
Some seniors made the decision to forgo the extra year of eligibility to move on from baseball. Caleb Sleeman, a pitcher off to a great start this season with a 2-1 record and 2.00 ERA in 26 innings, decided to hang it up. His decision was not made lightly.
"I'm getting married in July, and this was already going to be my fifth year anyway," said Sleeman, a native of Alto, Michigan. "I love MSU, and it was truly a gift to play baseball here. But now, I'm going to be experiencing the gift of marriage, which is going to be a beautiful next chapter for me.
"This whole thing ended a few months before I was expecting, but it's time for new things. When you're around people for five years, you tend to build strong relationships. This is the first spring in almost 20 years that I haven't been playing baseball. There's definitely some mourning over the loss of baseball."
Boss has experienced more than one lost baseball season due to the pandemic. His son, Jake Boss V, was gearing up for his senior season at Haslett High School this spring.
"My heart breaks for him," Boss said. "He's going to go on and play at Hope College, so his baseball career isn't over, but your senior year of high school is such a special time. The season itself, going to the prom, being recognized for all of your hard work both on and off the field, walking at graduation, he's missing all of that.
"As hard as this is, it's not the worst thing that could happen in the grand scheme of things. He's been working hard, he's been in the garage hitting and staying in shape to play at Hope next year. I'm just really proud of him and his attitude. This too shall pass. In 10, 15, 20 years, these are the stories he can tell his kids."
Whether they decided to stay in East Lansing for another year or move on, the cancellation of the season has certainly provided everyone with some good perspective.
"I was never owed the opportunity to play baseball at Michigan State," Sleeman said. "Now, more than ever, I recognize it as a great gift."
Players Mentioned
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Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11