The Gustavus Baseball team is currently in the middle of their annual Fall Ball World Series. The tradition of playing an in-club ‘world series’ to end the season has been a staple of the team for years. In a season where only one regular season game was played before the pandemic hit, the desire for competition is being fulfilled by this series.
Last spring, the baseball team was in Tucson, Arizona when COVID-19 began to shut sports down. The team played the first game of their season and was then sent home. After a quiet summer, the team was anxious to get a chance to compete again – even if it was only against their own teammates.
“I thought game one really showcased the resilience that the Black Team has this year. We were losing by what appeared to be an insurmountable deficit, and yet we found a way to climb back into the game and win by two runs. The rest of the series should be a hard fought battle,” Senior Torben Urdahl said.
Urdahl, a member of the Black Team, was inspired by his team’s rally to get a win in the first game of the series. Since then, the Black Team has earned another win over the Gold Team.
“After dropping game two of this series, we just need a little more energy. I’m not worried about us. It’s an awesome experience to take the field again with the guys. After last spring, obviously you can’t take any chance to compete with the team for granted,” Senior Christian Johnson said.
Johnson and his Gold Team are looking to regain some moment by getting a win in the upcoming third game. The stakes are high for the teams. Whichever team comes away with a series victory receives steaks at the end of season grill-out while the losing team gets only hotdogs.
“We are just excited to have all of the guys back out, competing, and showing us what they have. I think our seniors have set the tone for the way we do things from a training standpoint and have come ready to compete. The great thing is that the freshmen have come to play too, and it’s going to be exciting to watch the talent we have come together and compete to win the title this year,” Assistant Coach Andrew Woitas said.
The series is a way for the coaching staff to evaluate some players while also having fun. It is also a way of getting the first-year athletes engaged with the team. The Fall Ball World Series means a lot to many of the players. This year, it’s not so much about winning or losing the series, it’s about being back with their team.
“My favorite memories in my life are on that field. I love playing with my closest friends and watching everyone compete with each other. It’s so much fun to play against your own team because even if you do bad, it makes someone else look good so it works out. Going up against guys you spend so much time with is so funny especially when you get to make fun of them at the end of the game,” Senior John Campisi said.
Campisi and many others are enjoying the sense of competition and comradery the series brings after having missed their season due to COVID. In a year where sports seasons have been destroyed, the baseball players are thankful to have this annual tradition.
“I didn’t think that fall ball was going to happen this year, so the fact we got to play is such a blessing. I know we all really care about playing and are looking forward to the spring. We will be wearing a mask and social distancing to the best of our abilities to make the season happen. I’m counting everything as a blessing right now. I’m just happy I got to play with my friends again,” Campisi said.