The Southeastern Conference has officially canceled all spring sports as the entire country buckles down and tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, the league announced earlier today.
“This is a difficult day for all of us, and I am especially disappointed for our student-athletes,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “The health and well-being of our entire conference community is an ongoing priority for the SEC as we continue to monitor developments and information about the COVID-19 virus.”
Aside from obviously all spring sports, the list of things canceled include all spring games with practices still suspended until at least April 15.
The SEC had previously announced that all athletic activities were suspended until April 15, but as new information came in and new guidelines were sent out from the CDC, the league made the decision to end all spring sports for the year.
"I know that our student-athletes, coaches, and many administrators are disappointed right now," South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner said Friday. "We provide great opportunities for our student-athletes to grow and learn; this is one of those times that doesn't involve sport. We've been through tornadoes, floods, hurricanes. We've had tragedies, catastrophes and many times sport is an outlet for those situations. But this is not one of those occasions."
Spring sports at South Carolina include baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's tennis, and beach volleyball.
SEC member institutions will continue to provide their student-athletes with care and support to meet needs in areas including academics, medical care, mental health and wellness, nutrition and housing as needed.
On Monday, the White House sent out new guidelines to try and stem the spread of the coronavirus, which can be seen here.
For the SEC Softball Tournament and the SEC Baseball Tournament, automatic full ticket refunds will be made by March 31 to fans who purchased tickets from the SEC Office or an SEC university.
