Before the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA came down with an official announcement about competition of the winter and spring sports, in wake of the COVID-19 Virus, No. 19 Clemson defeated Winthrop 3-2 in 11 innings on Wednesday night.

As the game progressed major conferences cancelled their tournaments, the NBA suspended their season and individual institutions moved university classes online for the foreseeable future. The President of the United States even addressed the nation about the rapidly spreading disease.

With the progression of decisions to eliminate the threat of spreading the virus at sporting events, it became clear the extra-inning game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium may be the last live sporting event played by a Clemson team this spring.

Head coach Monte Lee gave a heartfelt address to members of the media directed toward fans and people around the world affected by the coronavirus.

“It’s tough to comprehend I guess just the reality of it all,” he said. “You really feel for people who are dealing with this. I feel for our country and people across the world who are dealing with this and this is just so much bigger than baseball.”

Lee’s message went farther than a lot of other coaches and people involved with athletics around the world. The baseball coach acknowledged safety is the chief priority to educate and keep players safe.

The ACC shared the same vision as it announced on Thursday afternoon that all spring sports from competition to team meetings are on hold until further notice. Lee shared on Wednesday night, before the decision came down, that he respected the actions taken by the NBA and others to suspend competition.

“I worry about the safety of our players and the safety of my family, so to see the preventative measure that are going on across the country, I certainly respect it,” the Clemson coach said. “I don’t think any of us understand it quite yet, as far as the impact this is going to have. If folks who are a lot smarter than I am have ways to protect the athletes than we will respect that.”

The sports world is in uncharted territory and the rest of the nation is still seeking to understand the extent of the virus, including Clemson Baseball, Clemson Athletics and the ACC.