Florida here we come! It has been a long and cold winter! The BC spring sports teams are ready and excited to train for a winning season.  The Varsity baseball team, the Junior Varsity baseball team, and for the first time in over five years, the Girls Varsity softball team are all going to Florida for spring training!! Let the team training and bonding begin and the Berkeley Carroll team spirit endure.

The Boys Varsity team is a powerhouse, and this year will be no exception. They’re coming back after a successful 2015 season, in which they were victorious in the ACIS finals at MCU Park in Coney Island against Portledge with an overpowering 10-0 win. They are definitely going into the season with high expectations.

When asked about the benefits of spring training in Florida to the overall tenor of the team, Senior Jake Simpson said, “Florida is always the most important time of the year for the baseball team. It’s the first time that we get out on a field and play some games so it’s always a really important part of each year.” He added, “This year it will be even more important for us since we lost a lot of players in key roles from last year. Florida will be a great opportunity this year to try some of the younger guys in different positions and fill the holes left by those guys who left.”

The team’s coach, Mr. Luis Monell, returning for his second season, said, “The trip to Florida presents us with the opportunity to escape our everyday busy lives for a week, and to focus directly on preparing for the upcoming season. We have many goals during the trip that include getting into a routine on the field, improving different aspects of the game, and taking advantage of being able to work one-on-one with players without having to worry about time constraints.” Moreover, with the popularity of the BC Varsity baseball team, this year Berkeley Carroll is able to field a pseudo-Junior Varsity team. Allen Li, a sophomore who is a member of the new pseudo-JV baseball team as well as the Varsity team, commented, “I want to see where I’m at now skill-wise because I haven’t played in a while. I think spring training at Florida will only hone the skills I already have.”

This year, the Girls Varsity softball team will be joining spring training in Florida. Way to go BC girls! This is especially exciting for me, because as pitcher I have been trying to rally girls to sign up to go to Florida since my freshman year. We also want in on the winning and want to pick up where we left off last year, when we had out first winning season in over four years. The Girls Varsity softball team is more determined than ever, and we mean business.

When asked about the Florida trip, the team’s catcher, junior Olivia Abramchik-Cavallo, said, “I think Florida will be a really great experience for the team. It’ll help us get ready to do well in the upcoming season and it’ll help the team get closer and bond. I’m really excited for the season because we have so much potential to do well and win a lot of games. I hope we start this season the way we ended last season, as Coach Z says, ‘with a whole hand of wins!'” Coach Tierney added, “Going to Florida is a great opportunity to build on our success. We’re going to work and play hard.” Overall, it is very evident that the Berkeley Carroll baseball and softball programs are extremely excited for what this spring training trip has to offer, and we are all hoping and working hard for a fun and successful season.