For most, but not all of the public schools, this has been a light week of work. That makes sense, spring break has a way whittling down a roster. But the Louisa County and Fluvanna County baseball teams have a tradition that solves that problem. Each April, the two teams head south to play in exhibition tournaments, with the Lions setting up shop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and the Flucos getting all the way down to Kissimmee, Florida which is just south of Orlando and right on Lake Tohopekaliga.
Different teams, different destinations, and this year, different mindsets.
The first month of baseball has been kind to Louisa. They’ve won four of the five games they’ve played, including both of their Jefferson District contests, taking down the team that kept them out of the Region II tournament last year in Western Albemarle, while also handing Fluvanna a loss the night before spring break began.
The team makes it way to Myrtle Beach confident in what they have. With a solid corps of pitchers that include one of the best in the area, Gunnar Carroll, hitting was the big concern based on last season for the Lions. However, in five games this far, Louisa has scored eight or more runs on four different occasions with batters like Peter Culver leading the way in the hear of the order.
As such, this trip this year looks to be about scrounging through the lineup to see what else is available.
“It’s a good time to do some different things,” said Lions coach Kevin Fisher. “It gives us a chance to see what some different kids can do. It’s a good time for the team down there and a great environment. We have a blast every year.”
For the players, it’s about getting to know one another and enjoying life as a teenager. While there’s lots of baseball to be played, the team makes the most of their vacation and comes home with a smile.
“It’s just a good time with friends,” said Louisa senior Brandon Perrin. “You’re hanging out, watching baseball, playing baseball. It’s a good time at the beach … what else could a teenage guy ask for?”
Fluvanna, on the other hand, finds itself in an unexpected scenario. Weather pushed back the Flucos first game to March 30, a full two weeks after most other teams had logged their opening contests. In their first outing they fell to Western Albemarle in extra innings. The next day they were bitten by Monticello. Two days later they took another loss, this time at the hands of Louisa. It was a brutal first week and so Fluvanna coach Mike Sheridan and his team go to Florida looking for their identity.
“We need to go down there and forget about (this week),” Sheridan said. “We need to know that the sun’s going to come up tomorrow. We can either sit here and lull on our three mistakes this week or we can move on to the next game and work on getting better.”
As they look to play up to the competition they’ll see, the Flucos plan to use their best stuff, and given how little this team was able to play in March, that can only help.
“A lot of times we’ll go down there and face kids throwing in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s,” Sheridan said. “So we’re going to face some awful good talent but we have to come together as a team and learn how to trust one another.”
But they had better enjoy their time in Florida because they’ve got the busiest schedule in the district for the next three weeks when they get home. The Flucos will play four games every seven days until May arrives.
