9.1

SPORTS

The Norwich Guidon
April 8, 2004

Baseball team goes 2-4 over spring break while in Florida

By Daryl Buttrick
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The Norwich baseball team gears up for their spring season, practicing in Shapiro Arena. (Chujko Photo)

When the Norwich baseball team went to Port Charlotte, Fla. for spring break to compete in six games throughout the week of March 8-12, they were excited about playing in the Port Charlotte Sports Park, where Major League Baseball team the Texas Rangers used to play for spring training.

Senior Captain Dan Robinson, a 22 year old communications major from Jacksonville N.Y., was very honored to be playing in the same stadium where some of the best pro athletes practice.

"Using the facilities that Arod [Alex Rodriguez] used is just an honor -- to just be able to walk in the locker room… and to actually play a game in the stadium was a nice treat for all of us,” Robinson said.

The Norwich University baseball team opened the season up with a week full of competition.

"This was our first week outside. We were in the field house all winter, and we played six games. For the first game, we struggled, hitting the ball; being the first time outside,” said Head Coach Bill Barrale. Barrale is in his fifth season with Norwich.

The Cadets opened the week and season up on March 8th with a loss from Webster College, losing 0-6.

“The first game, we were all a little rusty, and it showed. None of us hit the ball very well, and didn’t make the plays we should have, but we went on and eased into everything,” said Senior Captain Josh Creighton, 21, a communications major from Scituate Mass.

On March 9, the team got back into the swing of things with a double header against Mass College of Liberal Arts. Norwich won the first game 7-6; the second game, the Cadets fell 12-24.

The next day, the team had the day off to rest and get ready for another double-header, on March 11 against Wittenberg.

Norwich lost the first game of the two-game series with Wittenberg, 4-13. The next game, Josh Creighton recorded a win for the Cadets, throwing a five-hitter; Norwich won 8-4.

“We won the game in the major league stadium, and Josh Creighton threw a five-hitter, and CJ Daley came in and stroked out the side; it was a pretty exciting baseball game,” said Coach Barrale.

The last game, Norwich recorded a loss 3-8 against St. John Fisher, on Friday, March 12.

Norwich ended the week with a 2-4 record. In spite of earning only two wins, Coach Barrale has a positive outlook for the season.

“This year, we hit the ball really well, and we scored quite a few runs and left a lot of guys on base, but we didn’t pitch as well as I thought we could have, and we played as good a defense as I think we should have, to be able to win two games,” Barrale said.

This year’s senior class for the Cadets is very large, with six seniors.

“I think we have a really strong team, this year; we have a lot of returning seniors that are very knowledgeable about baseball and put a lot of effort into the sport,” Creighton said.

“There are more seniors than there have been, before, and we have a greater impact on the team, because five of the nine starters are seniors and have more games and experience and have a better opportunity to be able to play well in stressful situations," Robinson said.

Most players on the team this season felt the same way when it came to the team goal, which is to win the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).

“The team goal this year, like any other year, is to win as many games as possible and win the GNAC and to get into the NCAA tournament at the end of the year,” Robinson said.

“The team goal is to compete with all the other teams and play to our best capability. I think this is one of the strongest baseball teams we’ve had,” Creighton said.

The Cadets continue their season on Saturday, March 27, with an away game against Johnson and Wales in Providence R.I. at 1 p.m. Norwich will host its first game of the season on Wednesday, April 7, against Castleton at 2 p.m.

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.