After the baseball team ran into weather issues during last year’s annual spring break trip to Nashville, Tenn., Head Coach Dominic Savino said he thought a change was needed.
Two years ago, the baseball team also experienced weather issues on its trip to St. Louis, Mo. Due to snow and cold temperatures, team practices on the trip had to be cancelled.
For spring break this year, Savino signed the team up for a series of games to be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, an athletic complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. Savino said he wants to give his players the chance to compete in “baseball weather.”
“The young men in our program have earned the right to go out there and compete as hard as they possibly can and have as much fun as they possibly can,” said Savino. “I take great pride in the time and effort these young men have put in to get themselves to this point, and I feel like they deserve a chance to be able to go out there and play in such ideal conditions.”
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex hosts many high-level tournaments throughout the year in sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer and track and field. Champion Stadium, a 9,500 seat baseball stadium, which serves as the Spring Training home of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, is located in the complex where the Glenbrook North baseball team is scheduled to play. In addition to Champion Stadium, the venue also has a “baseball quadraplex,” equipped with four professional-sized fields.
According to Savino, the baseball team will play teams from Illinois, Ohio, New York, Wisconsin and Maryland. The team is scheduled to play five varsity-level games and five JV-level games, which he said will give each player plenty of at-bats and innings in the field. Savino said players on the varsity team become eligible to play in JV games when they do not play consistently in varsity games.
“The whole idea behind playing 10 games is player development,” said Savino. “We only feel players are going to develop if they have a chance to practice, and then a chance to compete. It’s being in those competitive settings that gets [the players] a chance to develop as individuals and as a team.”
Senior Brandon LaBunski, who plays primarily first base and designated hitter, said this trip will give the team an idea of its strengths and weaknesses.
“[This trip is] kind of like a practice test for the ACT,” said LaBunski. “We just want to see where we are and then improve from there.”
According to Savino, the trip will be financed by the players and their families and through other funds in the program. Savino said families of the players are encouraged to join the team on the trip and partake in scheduled activities. The team is scheduled to stay at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort.
LaBunski said the team’s off-season was “phenomenal” and Savino agrees.
“[The players] have the chance to [form] an absolutely outstanding team,” said Savino. “The reason for that is their phenomenal level of commitment, their willingness to work and their willingness to compete. When you have those three things, you give yourself the chance to improve on a daily basis. When you’re improving on a daily basis, ultimately what you get is a performance level that exceeds your individual talent level, and that’s what we want.”
Savino said when he first found out the team was going to be able to play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, he felt “pure excitement” for his players.
“Our program will always be about the players,” said Savino. “My goal each year is to try to do something that makes GBN baseball very special for our players. When you look at a trip of this magnitude, I think the players know that they’re a part of something special.”