Spring break will be sports-free next week in Tampa Bay

Spring break will have a little less pop this year.

With school districts across the state closing for the next two weeks to help lessen the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, that means no high school games or tournaments can be played until March 30 at the earliest. Many games Friday were still allowed to go on.

The extended school break impacts several prestigious tournaments originally scheduled for next week.

The Saladino Baseball Tournament, which has been played consecutively since 1981, has not ruled out trying to play later in the season, though trying to schedule on a week other than during spring break likely will be difficult. The tournament features 24 teams from Hillsborough County, including nationally ranked Jesuit.

Two Hernando County staples are also canceled. The Farm Bureau Baseball Classic, played at multiple sites in Hernando County, was to feature 16 teams from the North Suncoast, including nationally ranked Mitchell. The Leopard Slam softball tournament hosted by Hernando High also is off.

Earlier in the week, the Florida High School Athletic Association, the state’s governing body for sports, also decided to hold appeals hearings and advisory committee meetings via teleconference for the next month to cut down on travel and exposure.