​Freshman Baseball Travels to Cooperstown 

On May 15, the freshman baseball team traveled upstate to Cooperstown for their annual trip and matchup against Canisius High School. Below, Peter Barbieri '10, Alumni Volunteer & Freshman Baseball Coach, reports on the team's trip. 

Last weekend, the Xavier freshman baseball team traveled upstate to Cooperstown for their annual matchup against a fellow Jesuit high school, Canisius High School of Buffalo, New York. Head coach and Dean of Faculty Lou Lovallo, an alumnus of Canisius High School, first organized this trip a few years ago, and the trip has been a huge success ever since. Reflecting on the purpose of the trip, Mr. Lovallo said, “The trip gives an opportunity for the players to experience the common mission found at Jesuit schools and to further their love of baseball."

We left Xavier after school on Friday, May 15, and traveled upstate, where we dined with the Canisius team at Sal’s Pizzeria. Both the Xavier and the Canisius squads quickly bonded with one another, bound by our shared Jesuit values and our love of baseball. The next morning, we took a tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame with Canisius. We divided our two teams up into three smaller groups, where each group learned about a particular part of the game and how it has evolved over the years. Later that afternoon, the Xavier Knights took on the Canisius Crusaders at Doubleday Field. Though we played a very competitive game, we lost 11-8. However, we were able to outhit Canisius, and we only played one bad inning that proved to be the difference in the ballgame. After the game, we parted ways with the Canisius team and then returned home to Xavier..

During the trip, the players were able to build a great sense of camaraderie with one another. We enjoyed hanging out and playing baseball together on and off the field, and we valued the opportunity to play against our new friends from Canisius. It was a great way to end the season on a high note.