No Joy In Summerlin: COVID Causes Cancellation Of Tuesday’s UNLV Vs Arizona State Ballgame At Las Vegas Ballpark
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It’s been more than 13 months since the gates have been open at Las Vegas Ballpark and baseball was played in the gem of a ball yard in Downtown Summerlin. It was the Cincinnati Red playing the Chicago Cubs on a Sunday, March 8, 2020, as part of MLB Spring Training’s Big League Weekend in Las Vegas. Within a week, the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down sports and then wiped out the 2020 Minor League Baseball season.
That’s why local Las Vegas baseball fans had a jump in their step Monday when they realized the ballpark in Summerlin was scheduled to come back to life Tuesday for a college ballgame between nationally-ranked Arizona State and the host UNLV Rebels.
But just when you thought the local sports industry was handling the COVID-19 pandemic, UNLV reported today that a positive COVID-19 test within the UNLV baseball program and resulting contact tracing protocol prompted the cancellation of the UNLV vs Arizona State ballgame.
The novel coronavirus also caused the cancellations of UNLV men’s basketball and football games, too, this past year.
Don “Donny Baseball” Logan, president of the Las Vegas Aviators, which are scheduled to open their home season May 6 at the ballpark, said about 2,500 tickets were sold. All tickets cost $10 apiece.
UNLV Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois issued this statement in a press release: “The cancellation is disappointing, but the health and safety of all involved remains our top priority. We appreciate the partnership with Don Logan, the Las Vegas Ballpark and all those who worked to make it possible for the event to be scheduled. Additionally, thank you to those in our community who showed great interest by purchasing tickets, which sold out within hours of going on sale.”
