The saying goes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, but the 2020 Jesuit baseball team knew what they had. Off to a 12-2 start, with sights set on a state championship, when the LHSAA had to cancel spring seasons due to COVID-19.
Will Hellmers said, “Indescribable pain I guess. You never know how it would have turned out. It really does make it hurt just a little more.”
Brian Valigosky said, “Yeah it’s always going to eat at me, to see what we could have done this year it hurts but, I’m going to definitely remember my senior year forever.”
Parker Serio said, “When you talk to former high school baseball players I think a lot of them always refer back to their senior season. Of course mine and my teammates are always going to be pretty infamous.”
A big part of what made this team special was senior leadership. 13 seniors who were all told their high school careers were over.
Kenny Goodlett “It was the hardest thing that I had to do in my coaching career. We just put an emphasis on finishing every game every practice every rep in a workout. To see this class not be able to finish, that’s hard.”
Will Hellmers, Parker Serio and Brian Valigosky’s careers are not finished. Each taking their talents to the next level, staying in-state. They look forward to the day they finally get to step back onto the field, and share it once again.
Hellmers said, “LSU Nicholls and Tulane play against each other quite a bit so it will be fun to have that camaraderie still with some of my really close friends.”
Serio said, “I’m sure we’ll hug each other after every game. It’s going to be really exciting I really can’t wait.”
Valigosky said, “It’s going to be awesome I’m going to love playing against them. Hopefully I can play against them and share the field with them it will be a dream come true it’ll be awesome.”
While the 2020 Blue Jays may not play together again, they will get together one last time.
Goodlett said, “We don’t know when, but we will get together as a team and have a celebration of everything that we have gone through. That’s big for our coaching staff and our players. It will come.”
Until that day comes, John Ryan Stadium was lit on April 17th to honor the 2020 seniors and spring student athletes.
