Cal State Bakersfield’s softball team has opted out of playing in the 2021 season, the school announced on Wednesday.
According to a school press release, “there were a number of members of the softball team who wished to compete this season, but the majority of the squad opted to sit out.” The number of players opting out left the Roadrunners without enough players to field a full squad that would hold up over the course of a full season.
“This was an extremely difficult and heart-breaking decision that our team made regarding opting out of the 2021 season,” head coach Crissy Buck-Ziegler said in a statement. “We love the game of softball, but the health, safety and well-being of our women will always come first. We will remain focused in our pursuit of academic excellence and will continue to develop our scholar-athletes.”
The Roadrunners were 1-13 during the 2020 season when the campaign abruptly ended; the team’s only victory was an 8-3 win over Nevada. The program lost its coaching staff under Buck-Ziegler this summer, and had planned on fielding a roster that included sixteen returning players and three freshmen.
