Develop

Through our experience we had a great opportunity to develop as a team. The on-field experiences were great and gave us an opportunity to develop as a squad for our upcoming season. It also gave us added practice time heading into a much anticipated year. Off the field is where many of my teammates and I were able to grow and develop as people. We were afforded the liberty of seeing the real Dominican Republic from the eyes of the locals; seeing what it is like to live in such a baseball rich area. From all of this, we saw how much we have in our lives and how lucky we are, for what we have here far exceeds what many of them have. We take so much for granted here and we need to be more thankful for the opportunity we have to play baseball and get a great education here at Loras. What I thought was incredible was how happy all of the people were; they have so little yet live such a joyous life. I know many would say that they are poor, but only in the sense of money. This appreciation and understanding that we will take with us is where I really thought that myself and my teammates truly developed.

What was the best part of the trip for you overall?

The best part of the trip for me was being able to see what life is like for a real Dominican. Most people that go to the country go to the nice five star hotels and do not see what the real towns and life are like. We were able to experience the true Dominican culture on a daily basis, which was a lot of fun.

Something that has stuck with me was the experience we had on the day we arrived there and practiced at a community field near the hotel. With this being the first thing that we had done upon arriving in the DR, this was the first real experience of what it was like. The drive from the airport to the field was eye opening as we got to see what everything was like for the first time. While practicing at the field, there was a crowd of locals watching us. They had music playing and the kids were trying to talk to us in Spanish. Even though we were just practicing, it truly felt as though we were a part of their culture with everything going on.

What was your favorite baseball moment of the trip?

The best part of the trip baseball wise was the first day watching the Navy take pre-game infield. I was impressed by how quick they were and how fluid they did everything. Everything had a sort of flash to it. That was a very eye opening experience for me as well as others on the team.

Another moment on the ball field was getting to take ground balls with Miguel; a Dominican ballplayer who just got signed with the Oakland A's. He is also a third baseman, so each day I was able to take ground balls with him during workouts and pre-game batting practice. He spoke a little English, so we were able talk a fair amount. I enjoyed having conversations with him regarding baseball along with many other things.

How do you think this trip will help/impact this team this season?

From this trip I think that we will take the confidence that we can win against anyone. Even though we did not win while down there, we played each of the professional teams we played competitively and had very good opportunities to win at least one game. The trip gave us a great chance to iron out any of the kinks that may have been present. I think it will help when we go into our opening games knowing that everything that we have in place works.