This Wednesday, April 8, is an important day for senior Joe Lisicky. It marks 12 weeks since he tore his meniscus playing basketball, and it would have signified a huge milestone in his recovery.

See, that’s the day he would have been cleared to start playing baseball, and the Zephyr’s ace pitcher was eager to get on the mound to begin their pursuit of a district title.

However, schools across the state will be closed indefinitely as announced last week, and Lisicky’s plans to return to competition in a sport he loves will have to be put on hold for awhile.

“Hearing that was definitely tough,” said Lisicky. “I was looking forward to playing half of the baseball season.”

He admitted that the news halted his motivation a bit, but he understands the severity of what this country’s dealing with during the pandemic.

Still, as a senior, he wanted to run out on the field one more time with his teammates. He wanted to enjoy the camaraderie of a team who shared a common goal. He got injured in the game against Stroudsburg in January and missed the basketball playoffs. He wasn’t able to participate in what could have been a deeper postseason if he had been on the court, and believed baseball was his chance to experience that thrill of chasing a state title.

“I just want to get out there one more time with my teammates and compete for a district title,” said Lisicky.

The Zephyrs had all the ingredients for a successful year that could have extended far beyond the regular season. They were returning the bulk of their offensive production from last year’s team that made it to the district finals. They also had a strong and experienced pitching staff that could rise to the challenge in the always-tough Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. With the strides they made last year, he was confident they were capable of doing something special this season, and now those dreams are in limbo.

“Possibly getting it taken away is a tough pill to swallow,” said Lisicky.

Lisicky experienced a state championship run during his freshman season, but as a bench player he didn’t see much action. That team lost in the 5A state finals to Greater Latrobe. This year he’ll be a major contributor, a player who’s history indicates that he’s eager to take the ball when the pressure intensifies during the postseason.

One only has to look at last year’s district semifinal game against Southern Lehigh. Lisicky went seven strong innings, picking up the win after Adin Hoderewski’s Houdini-like play at home gave them the walk-off victory. Lisicky, who was excellent in his previous three starts prior to that game, said that was his best outing all season. He said he probably threw 100 pitches during his seven innings of work, allowing two runs to the Spartans.

Lisicky said that the win also underscored the determination of a squad that wouldn’t be denied.

“Our team just battled that whole game,” said Lisicky.

Being the winning pitcher and helping his team reach the finals was extremely rewarding, a highlight of his career.

“Advancing to the district championship was the best feeling in the world,” he said.

He was also superb in their game against Liberty last May during the league playoffs. He was facing the No.1 seeded ‘Canes and delivered a gem, going seven innings without surrendering an earned run. He allowed just five hits to a team that entered the postseason with 19 wins under their belt.

When Wednesday arrives, Lisicky will most likely have mixed emotions. Sure, he’ll be grateful that the injury has healed to the point he can start participating in baseball, but the classrooms are empty and the fields are silent.

“Not having anything to come back to really hurts,” said Lisicky.

We are all experiencing this together, but the impact on seniors, both in high school and college, has left them dealing with an array of emotions that have no historical comparison, at least in most of our lifetimes.

Lisicky and his fellow seniors don’t know if they’ll have a season; they don’t know what graduation will look like, or if prom will be canceled. It’s also impacting those who were hoping to continue their athletic careers in college, and were looking to finalize those decisions by weighing any offers generated from their participation in spring sports. Lisicky said that recruiters won’t have a chance to see those kids play.

Lisciky already has his future plans settled. He will be attending The University of Scranton in the fall where he’ll joining his brother, Jake, on the Royals baseball squad.

“That’s going to be fun,” Lisicky said.

As an undergraduate, he’ll be studying accounting.

While that future isn’t in doubt, Lisicky said that he would still like to show head coach Mike Bartoletti and his staff that he’s fully recovered from his injury. Unfortunately, he’s not sure if he’ll get the chance.