By Ryan Ryu ’25
On March 7th, the Frederick Gunn School Varsity baseball team traveled to the Sunshine State, Florida, for a week of spring training. This trip has been Gunn’s tradition and involved intense training programs, scrimmages against schools across the states, attending MLB Spring Training games, going to the beach, and team bonding activities.
A Gunn baseball player’s day in the life in Florida was more or less like a College baseball player. Highlanders woke up early, around 7 am, to get ready for four hours-long practices at 8:30 am. Practices mostly consisted of throwing, fielding, and hitting drills, taking the best advantage of the great southern sunshine weather. Although waking up early in the morning was hard, the whole team put in their best efforts during practice to make the best version of themselves for this Spring season.
The Highlanders played a total of three games during the spring training. Although not entirely in shape, Highlanders worked on team plays and played hard against teams from New Jersey, Illinois, and Canada. Gunn picked up their win against Ottawa Knights from their second game.
Baseball aside, this trip helped the Gunn baseball team to form great bonding relationships with one another. Thanks to the coaches, Fruity Tooty became Gunn baseballer’s favorite dessert place. One of the times at Fruity Tooty, the team ran into a New York Mets player, Luis Guillorme. Highlanders also made their way to Vero Beach on a sunny day to enjoy the nice cold water and shining heat.
“The Florida trip proved to be an excellent opportunity for our team to develop bonding and cohesion prior to the start of the season. The great weather of Florida provided an ideal backdrop for us to interact with our new team members, fostering deeper relationships that extended beyond the field of play. Our time spent engaging in team-building activities, such as a visit to the beach, further enhanced our sense of unity. I look forward to playing on the mound and shortstop as the season approaches,” said the Boston College commit Leo Vitarelli’25.
“The baseball program has traveled to Florida for over 20 years, and the trip is invaluable in our preparations for the season ahead. We practice a lot, we play a few games, and we get to see at least one MLB spring training game. Not only do we have time to work on basic baseball skills — throwing, baserunning, hitting, pitching, taking ground balls, and fly balls — but we also have a great time getting to know each other and forming the bond that will carry us through the season. Overall, it’s a fun, productive, and memorable experience. I look forward to the warmer days, working alongside Coach Trundy and Coach Gorman, and helping the players enjoy the great game of baseball and getting better each day,” said Coach Martin.
A week in Florida was a success in many ways, and the highlanders are ready to cruise their 2023 spring season.
