Boras Classic baseball tournament canceled over coronavirus concerns

Huntington Beach's Jake Vogel (27) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run against Harvard-Westlake on Feb. 26. The Oilers' season is postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

March 13, 2020 7:08 PM PT

The Huntington Beach High baseball team will not be playing in arguably the most prestigious tournament in the country this year.

The Boras Classic, which was scheduled to begin April 14, was canceled Friday due to concerns over the coronavirus.

An email from the Boras Family Foundation cited consultation with medical professionals, as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s direction to postpone or cancel events of 250 or more people.

“I have a lot of feelings about all of this,” said Huntington Beach coach Benji Medure, whose team was supposed to open the Boras Classic Southern California tournament against San Diego St. Augustine at Mater Dei High. “I think the biggest thing right now is everyone’s safety and everyone’s health. That’s obviously the most important thing going on in our country, and we have to honor that.

“Is it a disappointment? Yes. Our season is suspended right now as well. As a human being, we have to do our part and make our sacrifices to get through this. If shutting down for a little bit, not playing some games and suspending the season is something that’s going to help our community and our world, then I’m OK with it, and I think our players are OK with it.”

The Oilers went 2-2 in the 16-team Boras Classic SoCal tournament last year. In 2017, they won the Boras Classic South title and the Boras Classic state title.

Huntington Beach is 6-3 this season, but it is unknown if games will continue.

The Huntington Beach Union High School District postponed games indefinitely on Thursday. On Friday, the district also announced that schools will be closed from Monday through March 27.

“It’s sad,” said Medure, in his 20th season in charge of the Oilers. “There have been some tough conversations the last couple of days, and dropping on [my players] that the Boras was off the table was one of them. But our boys are pretty mature, and they understand that there’s a bigger picture here ... I respect Jerry Boras’ decision to cancel it. They’re a class act and want to do the right thing, and I think they did the right thing by canceling it.

“We need to stay optimistic and stay together on this. I think as a whole we’re going to get through this, but we have to stay optimistic and do the right things.”