Highlanders Baseball Spring Training in Florida

Every year the Highlanders baseball team heads south to St. Pete Beach in Florida for spring training. Spring training is used as a forum to prepare for our regular season which takes place throughout New England and finishes with a few local games against high-performance teams. This year the squad played a total of nine games in 10 days coupled with daily batting practice and on-field practice. Of the nine teams played, the Highlanders played against teams from Ontario, New York, New Jersey, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Florida. They were very competitive games with the Highlanders walking away with a few wins, but these games mean nothing as they’re used to prepare for the regular season.

 

The entire squad had a great spring with some players making an impact right out of the gate. Spencer Johnson '24 pitched very well throwing between 85 and 86 mph. Ken Hojo '27 was also solid on the bump throwing 78 to 79 mph and he’s only in Grade 9 – very impressive! Other solid performances on the mound were Aidan Myette '24, who pitched a stellar game against the Florida Heat, and Yasu Hojo '25. At the plate and in the field, it was a group effort with our five juniors performing very well, Alexander Slaunwhite '27, Jacob Trask '27, Jacob Edgecombe '27, Calum O'Callaghan '27, and Ken Hojo. These players certainly did not look out of place against some tough competition. As for our Senior School players, Haruki Yamaguchi '26 had a walk in his first at-bat, which was a first and milestone as he has never faced tough competition before. Carter Cooling '25, Will Clark '25, Nolan MacKinnon '26, Nathan Dill '25, and Kail Brown '25 also all had quality at-bats.

 

Lastly, we can’t forget our backstop, Connor Watt ‘25. Connor logged most of the innings behind the plate and was getting progressively better at blocking and controlling the run game. Overall, it was a very successful spring training with our first trip to New England happening on April 9. Stay tuned!