Baseball team travels to Florida for spring break

By Meredith Haas ‘24, staff writer

The baseball team took a trip down south to get its season into full swing.

While some LVC students look forward to a relaxing time with family or a vacation to break up the school year, the baseball team continued pushing forward with its season.

The team traveled to Port Charlotte, Florida, where they spent eight days competing against teams from Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“It was a fantastic week for the program,” Jonas Fester, head coach of the baseball team, said. “After not going to Florida last year, it was terrific to make the trip again.”

For many players on the team, not only the freshmen, this was their first time getting to travel during spring break. Last year’s trip was cancelled due to COVID-19.

“While we didn’t have this experience last year, it was good to see how our team matched up with some of the top teams in the country,” Ryan Pickle, a sophomore pitcher, said.

The Dutchmen were strong competitors during their time down south, racking up a record of 5-3, with one game being cancelled due to typical Florida rain. While having a strong showing, Fester still sees room for improvement from a team with lots of potential.

“While we have a long way to go, I fully expect this team to compete for a conference championship,” Fester said.

This trip isn’t all about the competition; it’s an opportunity for the team and its families to come together.

“While we are there to play baseball, it’s a great time for team bonding, and spending time with loved ones,” said Fester. “Of our 43 players, we had parents and supporters of 36 of those players on the trip.”

If you ask most of the players, they’ll likely tell you that while the week was filled with high temperatures and long days, they were glad to be there.

“It was a terrific experience to kick off the season,” Michael Williams, a sophomore pitcher, said. “Nothing beats baseball every day from sun up to sun down in the beautiful weather.”

From here, the team will continue with its regularly scheduled season. For the baseball team’s game schedule, be sure to visit www.godutchmen.com