Quistors escape snow with trip to Orlando
By April Smith-Carpenter/Sepcial to the Tribune
Thursday, March 20, 2008 4:55 PM CDT
The Olive Branch junior varsity and varsity baseball teams flew out of the Memphis International airport while the snow was beginning to fall on Friday, March 7th. Destination, Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex. The Conquistadors head baseball coach, Chris Cascio applied to Disney to be a part of their Disney Baseball Spring Training that they host every year for high school junior varsity and varsity teams as well as for college teams. "We were selected from 300 applicants to take part during our Spring Break."
The Disney Baseball Spring Training began on February 14th and will continue through April 26th. Teams from all over the country are embarking on Disney to play baseball on their ten baseball diamonds that are professionally kept, "world-class baseball fields" according to Disney. Only Diamond D-1 game balls are used, and the package comes complete with official umpires, announcers, scorekeepers, trainers and use of their state-of-the-art batting tunnels and weight rooms. Olive Branch junior varsity and varsity teams were there March 8th- 11th. The varsity team competed against George Washington High School from Pennsylvania winning 12-0, and Macomb High School from Illinois winning 22-2. The junior varsity competed against Durham Academy from North Carolina losing 1-2 and Trinity Pawling School from New York winning 18-3. Both squads had exhibition games against the Ontario Prospects from Canada. The varsity lost a double header 1-12/5-12. The JV also lost their double header 8-9/0-19. The Ontario Prospects team had a combination of college and high school players and at least two players have already been drafted by the Seattle Mariners.
"Playing these exhibition games was great practice for us. In the second game of our double header against the Prospects, their pitcher was throwing balls ranging in the mid-90's for speed and we were hitting them." According to Cascio his team's weakest part is swinging the bat. Disney for the Quistors wasn't about all work and no play. "While the varsity was playing ball, the JV was visiting the parks and vice versa. This was a fun experience for us, one that the kids will remember forever."
Highlights for the team included watching the Atlanta Braves practice and playing baseball on major league caliber fields in 80 degree sunny weather. Not to mention the two wins that count towards their overall record this season. "In the victory against Macomb, Dalton Kulas and Hunter Bobo threw a two hitter, and Seth Milliron threw a no hitter against George Washington."
This team is getting ready for district play at home against Southaven on March 25th at 5 and 7pm. "Every time we meet Southaven it is an important contest, there is no love lost here," smiled Cascio. "This rivalry has been going on a long time and it is very heated, no matter each team's record, you can feel it in the air."
Print this story | Email this story
|
