From April 2 to April 10, the Cathedral Prep baseball team took a week-long trip to Goodyear, Arizona, which is about 20 minutes away from Phoenix. The team took place in the prestigious Wolves Classic Tournament held by Estrella Foothills High School.
Although the team had played five games and practiced a lot in the blistering Arizona sun, junior Frank Riley says that the conditions helped better the players. “It built a great team chemistry that will hopefully take us deep in the PIAA playoffs,” he said.
With how the Ramblers performed, it seemed like they definitely adjusted well to the hot weather. They went 5-0 in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 67-8 and scoring 15 or more runs against Browne HS, Payson HS, and St. Bernard’s HS.
One of the Ramblers’ top performers was senior Reece Colvin, who was on base more then 80 percent of the time during the five-game stretch. Reece dominated at the plate by getting big extra-base hits, on the bases with his speed and baserunning, and in the field with his defense and glove.
Reece credited the coaching staff for his performance, saying, “They helped me adjust my approach at the plate and gave me confidence in the practices before we began the games, and it carried onto the field and I just made sure to have fun too.”
Senior Jackson Mattocks had a great series as well, hitting a home run in three straight games.
“I feel like it was a good start, and it made me realize I have the potential to play at a very high level,” Jackson said. “But you’re only as good as your next at-bat, so I need to keep performing well and contribute to this very deep team in any way possible. My teammates’ performance also made me realize that if I do have a bad game they will be there and have my back, so that also takes a lot of pressure off of me.”
But it wasn’t just the baseball that made the trip enjoyable. The team also got to bond with one another at the hotel, its pool area, and a nearby gym. They even attended a college baseball game between the Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils, which ASU won 10-6. Senior Maddox Stadler says he had a great time, and it was a fun game to watch.
What stood out to many of the players were the bonds they were able to create while in Arizona. Sophomore Luke Costello noticed the relationships within the team growing more and more while all together for a week.
“For me,” Luke said, “that trip brought not just groups of people by age together. It brought the whole team together more than any other trip I’ve been on before. Our chemistry this season has been so strong thanks to many things we did going across the country together. As a sophomore, it was truly unbelievable being able to play alongside many older mentors and role models because it was such an anticipated trip for us. I think in the moment it was just so cool and honestly one of the most fun trips I’ve ever been on.”
He also added that, “most of the things we accomplish this season can be thanks to the lessons we learned I Arizona.”
The Ramblers are 12-1 on the season, with their next game coming up Friday against General McLane.
