A record number of TCU baseball players will be playing summer ball because their season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, head coach Jim Schlossnagle said.

“They are all very much looking forward to getting out and playing baseball of some kind,” Schlossnagle said.

TCU was only able to play 15 games this season, earning a record of 11-4.

Collegiate summer baseball leagues would allow players to continue to develop their skills, but their seasons are still up in the air.

Sam Thompson, a first-year outfielder from Owasso, Oklahoma, has changed his summer plans due to summer league cancellations.

The Alaska Baseball League was canceled, which limits Thompson’s options right off the bat. With the help of associate head coach Bill Mosiello, Thompson signed a contract to play for the Charlottesville Tom Sox in Virginia, but that league was canceled the next day.

“So as of now, my summer is still a big question mark,” Thompson said.

The Wilmington Sharks, a collegiate summer league team in the Coastal Plain League (CPL), is taking it day by day as to whether they will be able to play this summer, said Carson Bowen, the general manager for the Sharks.

“Sports are a place people use to gather and have fun,” Bowen said. “Hopefully, we can still be that platform for people to get away.”

Carson Bowen, Wilmington Sharks general manager

“We are cautiously optimistic,” Bowen said. “Our main concern is the health and safety of our team and our fans.”

TCU is not the only school that has been trying to send more of its players to summer league teams. Bowen said they have been receiving calls from multiple schools, but the Sharks’ roster is full and he plans to honor the contracts he has already made.

The CPL has meetings once a week to reevaluate the circumstances. As of now, there is no concrete decision if they will play.

“The size of our operation is smaller, so we could say we are playing five days from now, and we could play,” Bowen said.