Seabury Sluggers

The season of spring brings the blooming of colorful flowers and warmer

weather to the world, but also tennis and golf to the school. This year, though, carries something new. This spring brings baseball to Seabury. Seabury is doing a program with Baldwin High School to bring some students over to play on their baseball team in an exciting edition to the spring.

For years Seabury students have wanted a baseball team and now with this new opportunity, their wishes seem to be coming true. “I have had many kids over the years tell me that they like baseball and would like to play on a Seabury team. In fact, I have seen a handful of students leave the school because we did not have a team,” says athletic director Eric Nelson. This new opportunity helps many students finally be able to play a sport through the school.

While having its own baseball team would be nice, Seabury simply does not have enough students to field three spring sports teams. Nelson states, “We already have two outstanding boys programs in the spring— golf and tennis. Adding a third sport and watering our teams down would undoubtedly lead to frustration and constant mediocrity on our spring teams.”

However, this Baldwin baseball team may be a first step towards Seabury having its own. While the school currently does not have a large enough student body, the expansion of the school could allow for exactly this to happen. However, Nelson explains, “Unless Seabury grows far beyond the current forecast in size, it will continue to be very difficult for us to field a team. In the meantime, this is a fun addition to the spring.” While it is fun to entertain the idea of Seabury’s own team, even with the expansion it doesn’t look like it will happen any time in the near future.

For Seabury students, playing for another school can also present its own obstacles, but it does not seem to be a problem for them. Any students wanting to play baseball will have to find means of transportation to Baldwin, which is twenty minutes away. For most students, this is not an issue at all and worth it to them if it means playing on a school baseball team. On top of the drive, the Seabury players will also have to adjust to the new environment where the Baldwin players all know each other well. But for junior Luke Hornberger, this is not a problem: “I know a few kids on the team and I bet the transition will be smooth. I don't know much about their baseball program other than that they have a great tradition at Baldwin.” Hornberger has been playing baseball his whole life and plans to try out for the baseball team this spring. He is a left-handed pitcher and throws 80 mile an hour pitches.

Freshman Cael Berkland also plans on trying out for the team in Baldwin, and feels that his transition to this team will be smooth: “I think it’ll probably work out well in that all of the kids from Seabury will still get to play on the other team. They said that they’ll be pretty fair on playing time for everybody.” Berkland has been playing baseball for six years on many different teams and is eager to finally play on a school team: “I’m sure it’s going to be more cohesive practice schedules than some of the teams I’ve been on before like fall ball teams. It will also probably be more competitive.”

Nelson also has no doubt the Seabury players will have a great transition to the Seabury team: “Baldwin High School has a strong athletic tradition, just like we do. Their baseball teams are full of serious players and the teams are well coached and professional. After a brief adjustment, I think our kids will fit seamlessly into the Baldwin baseball program.”

Seabury has finally taken a step towards adding yet another spring sport to its repertoire of athletics, and by doing so has opened another door for students who might have not had the opportunity to participate in an activity at Seabury otherwise. By partnering up with a school like Baldwin which has such a great baseball program, the students are provided with a great chance to see what baseball is all about. Hornberger sums it up by saying, “I'm grateful to be given this opportunity and I hope other students at this school use it to their advantage.”