The Varsity Baseball team departed from the Niagara Falls airport on Sunday, April 13th, to travel down to Tampa/St. Petersburg in Florida for the program's annual spring training trip. Due to when the school's Easter break occurred this year, the team's trip took place after the start of the season.

As part of the trip, the team's seniors collaborated on a journal to update friends, family, alumni, and supporters back home.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13
By: David Cloyd '25 and Gavin Eynon '25

The boys started the trip off with an early morning flight out of Niagara Falls Airport. Everyone was running on maybe a few hours of sleep, but the vibes were good and the energy was high, knowing we were finally heading to Florida. A few guys grabbed breakfast and waited to board.

The flight to St. Pete Clearwater was smooth, and we landed to some classic Florida heat a big change from the cold back home. We grabbed our bags, loaded up the vans, and hit the road. A slight delay while waiting for the vans, but nothing major, which honestly felt like a win compared to past trips.

The first stop was the legendary Publix run. It's tradition at this point. Everyone split up with their roommates to get groceries for the week, which ended up being way harder than it sounds. Somehow, we left with way too many snacks and not enough actual meals. Classic.

Some of the guys also made a quick stop at Raising Cane's to grab dinner. First Cane's of the trip hit different after a long travel day. After that, we headed back to the hotel, got settled in, and just chilled for the night. Not much else going on yet...just unpacked, played some cards, and called it a night by 10pm.

Tomorrow, we get after it.

MONDAY, APRIL 14
By: Jack Steiner '25

We woke up for our first baseball game of the week, and fortunately, I got the start on the mound. It was a very good team win, which put us trending in the right direction after going 0-6 last year in Florida. After our game, we had a lively car ride blasting music all the way back to our hotel. We still had most of the day to hangout, so most, if not all, of the players on the team chilled by the pool for the rest of the day.

Coach Hopkins grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for the team in the evening, which were delicious. After dinner, we hung out in the courtyard with everybody cracking jokes until it was time for curfew at 10pm. Throughout the whole trip, my favorite memory is probably sitting in the courtyard with the team and Coach Hopkins talking for hours. I probably have never laughed that hard in my entire life. The team seems to really enjoy each other's company.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15
By: Jack Ganci '25

The boys woke up excited and energetic for another day in paradise. A magical walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh on Monday had everyone confident for the game today. Tuesday's game was against FSBE Academy at Noon. Before heading to the field, the guys enjoyed some hotel breakfast in the lobby. There were no complaints with the breakfast, and it still seemed fresh and filling on day two.

We arrived to the field at 10 for a pregame practice and hitting at the cages. We weren't allowed to wear cleats in the cages, so most guys became Shoeless Joe Jackson for warm-ups. After, we went into the game, which definitely went our way. This game was a pitching clinic, resulting in a shutout victory of 8-0 against FSBE. The bats stayed hot from yesterday, leading to a great win in game two. The team was now 2-0 on the trip, and vibes were very high.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the team hit up the pool for a post-victory dip. This swim was very refreshing after a hard-fought win. Some guys did some tanning while others had chicken fights in the pool. The guys swam until the classic team hibachi dinner at 4:45. Everyone piled into the vans hungry and ready to eat some hibachi. Hibachi hit the spot like always, and spirits were very high at dinner. Most people ordered the steak and lobster with fried rice and noodles. After dinner we took a team picture in front of the fountain then headed back to the hotel.

To close out the day the team played poker and had a chill night together. Then the guys went to bed, excited for an early morning game the next day. Overall, this was a very successful day for the team and a great start to the trip so far.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16
By: Griffin Zgoda '25

Wednesday started off as another early morning. Coach texted us the night before to be at the vans at 8:15 sharp. The team was up against Gray Collegiate Academy from South Carolina. We arrived at the fields eager to try to maintain our winning streak. Unfortunately, it did not continue. Even though we didn't get the W, Coach Sanonocito was happy that our disappointing defense didn't stop us from having good ABs and offense.

After the game, we had some downtime. Most decided to play some pool volleyball, ping pong, and eat all the leftover cupcakes from Nick Scime's birthday party. Later, Hop took the team to play some mini golf. We were divided into teams of two. Everyone was trying their hardest not to come in last. After a fun 18 holes, Barczak and Ganci won.

At the end of a long day, the boys were tired during the van ride back to the hotel. When we got back, we started to wind down and get ready for another early morning.

THURSDAY, APRIL 17
By: Joshua Monti '25

The guys had an early wake-up call for a 9:30am game versus East Hampton. Packing the fan favorite and always exciting hop-mobile, the boys were looking to bounce back from a very tough loss the day prior. With Freshman Luke Golembewski on the mound, we knew we were in for a good game from the pitching side. We got out to a very slow start, getting shut out for the first four innings of play. Then a 9-run 5th inning boosted our confidence and gave us a comfortable lead. 9-6 good guys going into the 7th, we knew we wanted a little cushion, so we tacked on two more. We ended up winning 11-6 thanks to Gavin Eynon's 4-5 day at the plate. Along with our savior David Barczak going 3-5 at the plate with two triples, not to mention he threw the last two and a third off the mound to close out the game.

After we got back to the hotel, around 12 of us jumped in the pool and conversed on what the plan for the rest of the day was. Many options were tossed around: mini golf (again), bowling, the beach, and go-karts. As a group, we ended up choosing to golf at Cove Cay Country Club. I was in a foursome with Jack Ganci, Max Bahr, and Jack Steiner. Ganci and I found ourselves in the sand a lot that day; luckily for us, we brought our towels. Ganci finished with a confident 48, and Steiner and I tied at 49. To round out the group, Max Bahr had a statement of 60 through nine holes.

We got picked up by our personal Uber for the week (Coach Hop) and headed back to the hotel to find something to eat for dinner. We found a seafood joint and headed there. After dinner, Coach Hop treated us to Dairy Queen. After we got back to the hotel, we all headed up to our rooms to get some rest before our double header and last day in Florida the next day.

FRIDAY, APRIL 18
By: Nicholas Marcello '25

Our Friday started bright and early as we had a 7:45am deadline to get to the lobby. As we got to the fields, we proceeded with batting practice and pre-game warm-ups as usual. Strolling into game one with a 3-1 record in the Sunshine State, we got a rude awakening. We faced a familiar foe for the returners: the Florida International Baseball Academy. They brought their A-game for game one; we did not. With a tough defensive showing, we dropped game one. Game two had a similar result, but with a much more respectable score. Leaving baseball city with back-to-back losses was a tough pill to swallow, but all things considered, we had a lot to be proud of in those six games.

A number of teammates left St. Petersburg after the games to round out their spring break with their families, but there was a feast lined up for those who stayed. Tucked into a strip mall on the Gulf Coast was "Shrimpy's Bar & Grille." Luke, Gavin, Ganci, Max, Barczak, Coach Hop and I enjoyed some great seafood and live music. Can't say I've had better scallops in my life. After dinner, an impromptu trip to the beach and a small ice cream joint rounded out the last full day of our trip. 

The team had an early-morning flight on Saturday to return to western New York, with several Monsignor Martin league games scheduled for the first week back.