The club baseball team poses with its trophy after its championship game victory. (Photo courtesy of Ethan Kline ’23)

Lafayette’s club baseball team returned from its spring break trip to Florida with a vengeance, going 3-0 at the 2023 New Jersey Invitational Tournament this past weekend. The Leopards’ bats could not be silenced as Lafayette averaged more than 11 runs a game en route to an easy tournament victory.

“We had a bunch of people in unconventional spots but they all stepped up,” senior Chris Bluni, the club president, said of the weekend games. “Overall, it was a great tournament that Florida definitely prepared us for. We came to play more than usual, it was kind of like a wake-up call for us.”

The team traveled to Panama City Beach, Florida on its own dime during spring break to help figure out positions and the batting order for the season. The team also had the opportunity to bond.

“Florida was fun, we had one practice and then at least one game every day,” Bluni said. “Other than that, we could really do whatever we wanted. We got dinner and lunch as a team every day, went golfing one day, went bowling as a team and hung out on the beach.”

In its first tournament since returning from break, the team came out on fire, winning 10-2 over SUNY New Paltz. The Leopards put up 10 runs on 11 hits with eight out of the nine starters getting on base at least once. The bats were complemented by freshman Jake Barasch, who pitched a complete game for the Maroon and White, allowing only one earned run over seven innings.

In the second game, the Leopard pitchers struggled, but once again, the hitters stepped up. The team scored a tournament-high 13 runs on 12 hits with all nine Lafayette hitters reaching base. The team knocked off SUNY Oneonta 13-10, earning a top seed in the round-robin tournament and a bye going into the championship game.

“I know one of the other teams were saying ‘Oh, so this is not your first game back,’ and we were like ‘No, we played in Florida and we’ve been practicing.’ It was great to see that hard work pay off,” captain Ethan Kline said.

In the championship game, the Leopards dominated, beating SUNY Oneonta once again, this time 12-5. As in the first game against Oneonta, all nine starters reached base. Freshman Jonas Guerriere gritted out seven innings for the victory.

“We had a lot of people step up, all of our pitchers pitched really well and dominated, not letting anything get to their heads,” Bluni said. “Having a first-year and a sophomore throw two complete games was amazing, too.”

In addition to notching a tournament victory, the games over the weekend gave the team experience and confidence that they will take with them heading into the rest of the season.

“It was tiring but it was a good time,” Kline said. “It kind of prepared us for playing a full weekend of games. It was just a good start to the spring.”