The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced on Feb. 18 that the conference plans to hold several conference seasons in the spring, culminating with conference championships throughout May.

In a press release, the conference said the majority of the baseball and softball teams in the conference, including CWU, will play conference seasons. GNAC commissioner Dave Haglund said no fans would be allowed to attend the events.

Baseball will start its conference season on March 12 and will culminate its season with a championship in Nampa, Idaho on May 20 and 21. Softball will begin its season on March 5, and its season will end with a championship on May 6, 7 and 8 in Monmouth, Oregon.

All five of the baseball programs in the GNAC will take part in conference play, while six of the seven softball teams in the conference will also play. Simon Fraser University, which is located in Canada, will not play their softball season due to the closure of the Canadian border.

The conference also reaffirmed their plans to hold a track and field championship on May 14 and 15 in Monmouth, Oregon.

“We are pleased there is a pathway to a semblance of normalcy for most of our spring sports student-athletes, whose seasons were abruptly canceled a year ago,” Haglund said. “It is a testament to the work put in by our athletic directors and their staffs over many months that we are able to move forward with conference softball and baseball seasons and in planning our spring championships.”

The press release said that the GNAC will continue to monitor developments around COVID-19 and will make “additional decisions as needed to ensure the health and safety of the conference’s student-athletes, coaches and staff.”