While the majority of the Canterbury community enjoyed the last week of spring break resting at home or on the beach, the sixteen members of the varsity baseball team traveled to Florida to prepare for the upcoming season.
The Florida trip is critical to the team’s pursuit of a place in the playoffs. Head Coach Todd Mathewson explained “We would be at a severe disadvantage if we didn’t go on the Florida trip,” said Head Coach Todd Mathewson, largely because the inclement weather in Connecticut would prevent the team from getting on the field. This is vital because the team the first few games of the season can be decisive when it comes to making the playoffs in May.
On March 17th, the team suited up to play a very strong opponent in Worchester Academy, last year’s Central New England Prep School Baseball League runners-up to Phillips Andover. It was a back and forth affair from the first pitch, as Worchester answered Canterbury’s four-run start with four of their own in the bottom of the first. The pattern would be repeated in the sixth, with Worchester countering another four-run outburst by the Saints with a comeback of their own, to tie the game at 10-10 heading into the seventh.
It looked as though the game might head to extra innings before Co-Captain Dan Brady took control in the final inning. First, Brady’s three-hitter smashed a double to knock in what would prove to be the winning run in Canterbury’s third four-run inning of the evening. Brady then protected the lead he helped create from the mound, striking out the final hitter with the bases loaded to give the Saints their first win. Besides the efforts of Brady, both Trey Fesperman and Luke Haug had good days at the plate. Fesperman went 2-3 with a walk, while Haug hit a perfect 3-3 accompanied by a walk and hit-by-pitch.
This dramatic win was singled out by Coach Mathewson as one of his favorite moments of the trip. “It was great to see the team win a competitive game,” he said, “I learned [from that] that the team this year will continue to compete. Whenever we got down against Worcester Academy, we continued to battle back and eventually won the game.”
Co-Captain Jared Turner agreed, saying “I felt that that win showed a glimpse of our teams’ capabilities, and it made me very happy and confident going into our spring season back home.”
After two more days of practice and a scrimmage against Thayer Academy’s JV to give younger players some valuable experience, Canterbury dominated its final game in Florida with a 13-0 performance over Thayer’s varsity. Canterbury’s bats jumped on the Thayer pitching staff early, getting three runs across in both the second and fourth innings before putting the game completely out of reach late. Five Saint hitters (Luke Haug, Trey Fesperman, Jared Turner, Chris Roberti, and Jordan Perez) had two-hit afternoons, and both Fesperman and Tuner kept the Thayer pitchers out of rhythm by stealing three bases apiece. Meanwhile, a combined effort from several Saint arms prevented Thayer from ever getting back in the game, only allowing one-hit in the entire ballgame.
Pitching Coach James Cramphin was proud to display his young but talented pitching staff that he said “worked tirelessly to prepare for the season [as] they learned to become students of the game.” Perhaps Cramphin’s efforts to get his pitchers to “study the chess game between the pitcher and the hitter” were already beginning to pay dividends. Led by sophomore starters Chaz Powell and Fesperman, the pitching staff convinced Cramphin that “the future is bright for the Canterbury Baseball program.”
Though each win featured many contributors and countless key plays, a few players produced numbers that jumped off the statsheet. Luke Haug had the highest batting average and on-base percentage of the squad, with incredible numbers of .714 and .800, respectively. Trey Fesperman also displayed extraordinary consistency at the plate, batting .571 and maintaining a .700 OBP over the two games. Finally, senior-leader Turner led by example at the dish as well, averaging a .600 OBP over the course of the trip. These outstanding performances helped contribute to the upbeat and energetic mood that characterized the team during their week together.
When both captains were asked about what makes this Saints squad different from previous teams they had played on, both newcomers to campus this year emphasized that the chemistry on this team was “special.” Coaches Mathewson and Cramphin organized team dinners and a trip to a spring-training game featuring the Nationals and the Yankees to help develop these growing connections.
“It’s always a treat to see a major league team play, and my ballpark experience in Florida was no exception,” said Turner. In the newly constructed Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, the team was privileged to see some of game’s biggest stars, such as Bryce Harper, in a beautiful modern ballpark, as the Yankees eventually prevailed 9-3.
The team dinners were also a great opportunity to “strengthen bonds” that will hopefully not only create lasting memories, but also translate to wins on the diamond as well. Fellow captain Brady pointed out, “We only have four returning players this year. Oftentimes, with so many new players coming into the program in one year, it can be difficult to get everyone on the same page, but that hasn’t been a problem for us at all.”
Turner further explained the value of the team’s strong chemistry, saying, “When we are on the field we’re able to pick each other up when someone is down and win games for the team.”
After performing extremely well on the field and forming strong bonds off it, the Saints’ coaches and players were confident that their Florida experience had paved the way for a very successful season this spring.
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