GROVE CITY — Jesse Clary was on the cusp of a breakout season.

Lake Pry was looking to regain his form from last season.

Kyle Weitzel had visions of making an impact in his freshman season.

None will get his wish — because Grove City College no longer has a baseball season.

“We may have had four or five freshmen in our starting lineup,” fifth-year GCC coach Matt Royer said. “We were going to grow as a team and, I believe, contend for the Presidents' Athletic Conference championship.

“Of course, we'll never know now.”

The Wolverines got off to a 5-6 start this year before their season was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic. The PAC has since canceled the remainder of the spring sports season.Clary, a Cranberry Township resident and Eden Christian graduate, is a junior second baseman for Grove City. He hit .295 with 21 RBI a year ago.He got off to a torrid start this year, hitting .417 (17 hits in 41 at bats) to lead the team. He scored 10 runs, drove in 17 and had six doubles in the team's 11 games. Clary had four doubles all of last season.“I was feeling really comfortable at the plate,” Clary said. “I felt like I was gonna have a breakout season.“We could have won a few more games early. We were missing timely hitting and were leaving runners on. That was going to change. Our younger players were going to mature.”Royer figured Clary was on the way to a big season as well.

“He was leading the team in a lot of categories,” the coach said. “Jesse was our leadoff hitter because he was always getting on base.”Weitzel, a Butler graduate, saw some action in left field as a freshman for the Wolverines. He had three hits in seven at-bats, including two hits and a run scored in his first collegiate start.Weitzel hit in the fifth and seventh spots in the batting order.“I was trying to earn playing time this year,” Weitzel said. “This would be my year to adjust to the college game and improve. I was looking forward to getting that opportunity.”Royer was looking forward to watching it.“Kyle's got a strong arm and good range in the outfield,” Royer said. “I think he's got power potential at the plate, too.“We were trying to get him to attack the ball in the outfield a little more, use his speed to cover more ground. The cancellation of this season probably hurts the freshmen more than anybody else. They lose that development year.”Pry, a Moniteau graduate and junior right-handed pitcher, didn't even play baseball at Grove City his freshman year. He had a solid sophomore year on the mound.Pry was 7-2 with a 3.19 earned run average last year, including a no-hitter. He started two games during Grove City's southern trip this year.“It was a good learning experience last year,” Pry said. “I didn't expect to do what I did, not at all.“This year, I felt like we had a true shot at the PAC championship. This is a good team that was getting better.”A first team All-PAC pitcher a year ago, he did have control issues. Pry walked 38 in 73 innings last season.He struck out five and allowed one earned run in a five-inning outing against Trine (Ind.) in one of his two starts this year.“The control problems hit him late last season and they were evident early this year,” Royer said of Pry. “Lake had to get his command back to where he was most of last year.”All three of these players will be in action this summer, pending the end of the pandemic. Clary is playing and Pry is pitching for Cranberry in the Eagle County League. Weitzel is playing for the Butler BlueSox.Grove City was 28-16 last year, 16-7 in PAC play.“Starting four freshmen and having five others pitching ... We had a lot of promise this year,” Royer said. “It would have been fun to see how this season would have played out.”