Highlands Summer Rams suspend activities due to player testing positive for covid-19

By: Greg Macafee
Saturday, July 11, 2020 | 7:28 PM

The Highlands Summer Rams of the Western Pa. Summer Baseball League have suspended activities for two weeks after a player tested positive for covid-19.

*WPBL Announcement*

Highlands Summer Rams have suspended games & practices for two weeks. One of their players tested positive for COVID after returning from vacation at Ocean City, MD. Their next available play date will be Thursday, July 23rd.

— Western PA Summer Baseball League (@WPA_Baseball) July 11, 2020

The Summer Rams won’t play another game or have another practice until July 23. The player tested positive for coronavirus after returning from vacation in Ocean City, Md.

Coach Jeff Campbell said as soon as he heard the news Saturday morning he started notifying parents and players so they could be on the lookout for any symptoms they might experience. Campbell said he also contacted his athletic director and the WPBL representative.

“I notified everybody on the team and the protocol for us is you need to quarantine for 14 days,” Campbell said. “I told my parents and players that they needed to contact their doctors to get directions from them as far as what they should do.”

The Summer Rams had played last Wednesday and Thursday, and the player played with the team Wednesday. So, Campbell said as soon as he learned of the players’ positive test he suspended the team’s activities for at least the next two weeks so players and coaches could quarantine.

The player’s positive test was the first of the WPBL summer season and leading up to it, Campbell said the Summer Rams were taking the proper precautions to make sure their entire team was safe.

“We were doing everything that we were supposed to do,” Campbell said. “Before every game, we took every player’s and coach’s temperature, and the day (Wednesday) he was there, everyone’s temperature was fine.”

Throughout the summer, the WPBL has given players around the WPIAL another opportunity to play baseball after their high school season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This step backward was a little disappointing for Campbell and his team. His junior varsity team had just played its first game on Friday and his varsity team was supposed to practice at the Highlands baseball field for the first time this summer.

“We had to shut it down,” Campbell said. “We can’t be exposing more people to other teams and other people.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Highlands