The men’s baseball team experienced the best of both worlds this Spring Break, heading to Fort Myers, Fla. for some beautiful weather and eight games to begin their season. To prepare for the start of their season, sophomore Jake Zdrojewski said, “We had our fall season outdoors which consisted of scrimmages. Then throughout winter we had the batting cages reserved every night and had team lifts throughout the week.” All their hard work during the off-season paid off for the Vikes, who won five of their eight games in Florida. Their first two games were played against Lakeland College. Lawrence was defeated in the first game 17-6, but were able to come back later that afternoon and defeat Lakeland 15-11.
The next day, the Vikings suited up to play Gettysburg College, with the outcome following a similar pattern as the previous day. The Vikes started off rough in the first game, unable to score a run and ultimately fell 1-0. Later in the afternoon, however, they were able to rebound and beat Gettysburg 2-1. Zdrojewski added that this series of games against Gettysburg was his favorite part of the trip. “Even though we lost one, it was suspenseful being in a 1-0 game and then winning a 2-1 walk off because of great pitching by sophomore Atley Gay. There was also great defense by both teams.”
The Vikings were victorious in their next two games against Utica College and Minnesota-Morris, winning 9-2 and 14-1, respectively. Junior Alex Brewer mentioned, “One play where I was pitching against Utica and hung a slider, the guy hit it so hard that I thought for sure it was over our center fielder’s head, but as I turned around I saw [senior] Davide Harris calmly camped under it to make the catch thanks to his speed!”
The Vikings’ last two games in Florida were close contests against Bethany College. They lost the earlier game 11-10, but were able to hold Bethany to one run the following game, winning 2-1.
Overall, it was a very successful trip for Lawrence. What was the best part of being in Florida for Spring Break? Brewer states, “Just being with the guys away from all the stress of school and other things we are all involved in. It’s great to be able to only focus on playing ball. The warm weather is a close second.”
Last weekend, Lawrence took to the road yet again, this time traveling to Pella, Iowa to face Central College. Unfortunately, the Vikings were unable to come out on top, dropping the game, 8-4.
Despite the loss, the Vikes are still off to a great start on the season. When it comes to the outlook for the rest of the year, Brewer states, “Our goals for the rest of the season are to win the conference regular season title and tournament. As for individually, all I care is that I am able to help the team get wins in any way possible. If we win the conference, individual accomplishments will not matter to me.”