After a successful start to its season at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational over Spring Break, the baseball team will return to the field on Sunday for a doubleheader at Amherst.
The Polar Bears completed their annual two-week trip to Winter Haven, Fla. with a respectable 9-3 record that included an impressive 12-5 win over St. Olaf College on the last day of tournament play. The Oles had entered the game ranked 21st in the country.
As has been the case in years past, the team displayed a potent offense, scoring six runs or more in 11 out of 12 tournament games.
However, the true highlight of the trip was the emergence of several young pitchers who stepped up and gave the team a string of quality performances.
In addition to returning members Oliver Van Zant '13 and Ben Higgins '11, first years Christian Martin, Sam Herzig, and John Lefeber all turned in impressive starts.
According to senior infielder Adam Marquit, the team was generally very pleased with its results.
"We always seem to play well in Florida," he said in an email to the Orient. "We had a lot of close games but we kept fighting, never gave up and pulled out a lot of good wins. The trip should give us the confidence to know that if we play hard on every pitch we can beat any team on any given day."
For continued success, the team will need strong performances from several key returners. On the offensive side, Marquit and Brett Gorman '11, along with Brendan Garner '11, Dan Hicks '11 and Jordan Edget '12, all appear poised for great seasons.
Moreover, on the mound, Van Zant—who finished last year with a 3.00 ERA and was voted NESCAC Rookie of the Year—will be relied upon more heavily. Ian Edwards '12 will serve as the team's closer.
Although the Polar Bears will once again be on the road this weekend, with a double-header at Amherst Sunday, their first home game will be Tuesday against St. Joseph's College. The team will play its first conference games against Bates next weekend at the Pickard Field at 3:30 p.m.