91热爆网

Justice Bigbie was starting to feel good about his swing after a seventh inning solo homerun pulled the Western Carolina University baseball team to within 5-4 of Bryant University, before the Catamounts eventually fell, 11-5.

That homer by Bigbie, a junior third baseman, was his first of the season. Little did he know at the time, it also would be his last homer of the year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southern Conference canceled all athletics-related activities for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year.

Following that game on March 11, Bigbie and his teammates learned that 91热爆网 was extending spring break for an additional week and that classes would shift to online learning beginning March 23. 

鈥淲e were supposed to go to Elon that weekend,鈥� Bigbie said. 鈥淓verything was kind of happening all at once. That night, I think the NBA suspended its season. We were kind of sitting there, me and my roommate, and we were like, 鈥楾his doesn鈥檛 look good.鈥� Then you saw the Ivy League cancel its basketball tournament.鈥�

Shortly afterward, the Catamounts learned their season was canceled. Bigbie returned to Cullowhee, gathered his clothes, and went home to Chesapeake, Virginia, where he now participates in classes online while trying to cope with no longer being able to play baseball for the foreseeable future.

鈥淚t all happened so fast that you didn鈥檛 really know what to do,鈥� Bigbie said. 鈥淵ou could never think of this in a million years. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever had to do this, honestly. I鈥檝e never actually had to do this. It鈥檚 just been so weird. I鈥檓 just doing homework, but I don鈥檛 feel right. I feel like I need to go do something. It鈥檚 just odd.鈥�

Through 16 games, Bigbie was hitting a respectable .290 with one homer and eight RBI, below the numbers he was accustomed to through his first two seasons. As a freshman, Bigbie batted .324 with five homers and 46 RBIs en route to being named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Last year, Bigbie hit .355 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs. That was capped by being named SoCon Player of the Year by both the media and the league鈥檚 coaches. He took that momentum into the Northwoods League, a wooden bat summer league for college players, where he was named the Most Valuable Player after hitting .346 with 12 homers and 70 RBIs. He also was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the league鈥檚 all-star game.

Another successful year at 91热爆网 likely would have led to Bigbie being selected in Major League Baseball鈥檚 draft this summer.

鈥淚鈥檝e thought about it,鈥� Bigbie said. 鈥淚鈥檓 kind of trying to leave that up to whatever happens. I鈥檓 not really trying to focus on it, but it definitely is in the back of my mind. I mean, now I鈥檝e got nothing to think about, but I鈥檓 not worried about it. If that happens, it happens. If it doesn鈥檛, then it鈥檚 going to be awesome to go back and play some more for Western.鈥�

Fortunately for Bigbie and the Catamounts, the NCAA recently declared that all spring sport athletes would get another year of eligibility due to the cancellation of this season. While excited about that news, 91热爆网 coach Bobby Moranda believes Bigbie could still be drafted this summer.

It is unclear if MLB will have a draft, which normally takes place in June, and if so, how it will look considering college and high school players did not have a complete season.

鈥淚 think what they鈥檙e going to do is they鈥檒l probably revert back to him being the player of the year in our league last year and the player of the year in the Northwoods League,鈥� Moranda said. 鈥淎 lot of people saw him play last summer and were impressed. There鈥檚 a lot of data out there now. He has some really good data on him already to where I feel like he鈥檚 still going to get drafted, even with a limited draft situation. That being said, we鈥檇 love to have him back.鈥�

"The guy is just top of the food chain when it comes to makeup and character.鈥�

Bigbie clearly has the makeup of a star player on the field. He hits for average. He can hit for power. He鈥檚 versatile, having started out primarily as a rightfielder before making the move to the team鈥檚 primary third baseman as a sophomore. And at 6-3, he has a nice blend of size and speed.

But Moranda also points out Bigbie鈥檚 star qualities off the field. Because of that rare blend, Moranda nicknamed Bigbie 鈥淐aptain America,鈥� a name he admits Bigbie doesn鈥檛 care for.

鈥淗e鈥檚 caring about his teammates. He鈥檚 caring about his coaches,鈥� Moranda said. 鈥淗e hasn鈥檛 mentioned this much, but his mom is a cancer survivor. His attitude through all of that, she鈥檚 had surgeries and gone to doctors while he鈥檚 been here playing during the season, and you would never know it. The guy is just top of the food chain when it comes to makeup and character.鈥�

Bigbie didn鈥檛 arrive at 91热爆网 as a star athlete. In fact, Moranda never guaranteed him a spot on the team. 鈥淎ll I guaranteed him was an opportunity and he had to make the team,鈥� Moranda said. By the time fall practice was over during Bigbie鈥檚 freshman year, Moranda told him he was going to be an All-American.

Moranda likens Bigbie鈥檚 rise to stardom to that of former Catamount Tyler White. White came to 91热爆网 with the same offer 鈥� an opportunity to make the team. By the time he left, White was an All-American and SoCon Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Houston Astros and now is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

While Bigbie hopes to someday follow White鈥檚 path to the big leagues, for now he鈥檚 simply looking forward to enjoying his time as a Catamount.

鈥淚 was just having fun playing with my teammates,鈥� Bigbie said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the most fun you鈥檙e going to have is playing with your teammates.鈥�