Wilson, Plugge reflect on lost final season

Mary Claire Wilson now thinks back to something her dad told her years ago, when she was entering her freshman year of high school.

“My dad said your high school career will go by in a snap,” the Vestavia Hills High School senior softball player recalled.

Wilson realizes the wisdom and accuracy in those words, especially after the conclusion of her senior season was stripped away in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 season was effectively ended on March 26, when Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and state Superintendent Eric Mackey announced that schools would remain closed the remainder of the spring, including the cancellation of all spring sports, as education shifted online.

Vestavia Hills played its final game March 14, a 5-1 win over Benjamin Russell to conclude play in the Buccaneer Classic at Hoover. At the time, play across the state was halted for an indefinite amount of time, but there was no thought that the season wouldn’t eventually continue.

“I felt like we were going to come back soon, just take a week off,” senior pitcher Arden Plugge said. “I didn’t think it was going to end, so I said we’re going to use this time to put in some more work.”

Wilson kept waiting on what felt like an extended spring break to come to an end while hoping things would soon return to normal. Without in-person school and softball, running and playing golf have been the preferred methods of activity.

“I had hope and was optimistic that we were going to come back,” the Rebels short-stop said. “I thought we were all going to stay playing, keep practicing together. ... It’s been so hard not being able to play.”

Making the dismissal of the spring season a tougher pill to swallow was how well the Vestavia Hills team was playing in the early stages of the season. After a pair of under-achieving seasons, Wilson and Plugge circled the 2020 season on the calendar as one the Rebels would turn the corner.

“I was so looking forward to this year,” Plugge said. “Our team chemistry was way better. We got so close to the coaches this year, so we were all working really well together. Practices were fun and energized.”

Those positive vibes were backed up by a 12-4 record through 16 games.

“We had a really good team and good chemistry, and the fact that it was taken away so suddenly, it’s heartbreaking,” Wilson said. “I don’t know how to deal with it. It doesn’t feel real to me.”

Wilson has signed to play at Liberty University, while Plugge will head down the road to play at UAB. The third Rebels senior, Maddie Crane, plans on attending Troy.

With the NCAA announcing it will offer eligibility relief to all college athletes for the halted 2020 season, Wilson and Plugge admitted some uncertainty regarding how that may affect their first year in college. But they both expressed gratitude that they will still have the chance to play at the next level.

Plugge said several of the underclassmen have reached out to express regret for how the season ended, but she hopes the younger players will use the lost season as a lesson learned.

She told teammates, “Yeah it stinks, but I want y’all to not take each day for granted. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Cherish the moments that you have, and get better every day.”

View more of this season's softball photos in our photo gallery here.