Springfield Republican: "Westfield State Baseball Reflects On Trip To Cuba"
For once, the scores did not matter. The Westfield State University baseball team traveled to Cuba from March 8-11 to take on some of the country's finest players. The Owls lost both games to the Havana Industriales, 5-3 and 7-0, but team members said the experience could not be measured by any numbers
Westfield State Baseball reflects on trip to Cuba
By Mike Gillmeister, Springfield Republican
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For once, the scores did not matter.
The Westfield State University baseball team traveled to Cuba from
March 8-11 to take on some of the country's finest players. The
Owls lost both games to the Havana Industriales, 5-3 and 7-0, but
team members said the experience could not be measured by any
numbers.
“It's just amazing seeing the different cultures,”
said WSU coach Ray
Arra, whose team was competing against players ages 18 to
38. “The national treasure (in Cuba) is baseball. Someone
said there are three things to do in Cuba: play baseball, box or
run track. It was just a tremendous experience.”
Arra marveled at the skill of the players, who play on per-month
stipends in the subsidized country. Some of WSU's
competition was absent, however, because they were returning
from competing in the World Baseball Classic.
The opposition trotted out a righty in the day's first game, who
the Owls tagged for three runs, but the lefty starter in Game 2
silenced WSU entirely.
The Owls came into the series expecting to play collegiate-level
teams, but the realization that they were playing major
league-caliber athletes didn't seem to phase them that much.
The exhibition matchups were the first showings of live pitching
for WSU this season. If anything, the WSU players were more shocked
they were playing a two-game series in the biggest stadium in all
of Cuba, a 55,000-seat structure in Havana.
“We went down there expecting to play their collegiate-level
teams and we ended up playing one of their pro teams,” said
freshman catcher and Westfield native Evan
Moorhouse. “The atmosphere, in the middle of our
stretching, we were kind of just in amazement. Their passion for
the game is beyond what you're used to around here. They're taking
every at-bat as a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth with the
winning run on base.”
Fellow freshman and South Hadley native Connor
Sheridan echoed Moorhouse's thoughts.
“They combined all the fundamentals of the game
together,” Sheridan said. “Their fielding was really
polished. They knew what they were doing. They didn't really have a
lot of weak spots, that's for sure.”
Junior pitcher Mike
Sullivan of East Sandwich also shared some of his
observations.
“I gained a whole new appreciation for the game of
baseball,” said Sullivan. ”The Cuban players told
us they only make $15 per month playing baseball but I didn't see
anyone without a smile on their face the whole time we were
there.”
Pitcher Curt
Everett, a fifth year student from Lexington pursuing a
master's degree in Public Administration, noted the cultural
difference as what he gained most from the trip.
“Something as small as them (Cuban players) asking us for
our socks after the games,” he said. “I'd never been
outside the country so I enjoyed this once in a lifetime
trip.”
The Owls baseball team is the first Division III team to take the
trip since President Barack Obama lifted the ban on student travel
to Cuba in November 2011. WSU President Evan Dobelle has worked
with Westfield State Athletics Director Richard
Lenfest to expand the world view of WSU
student-athletes.
The women's basketball team will embark on a trip to Puerto Rico
next season, the field hockey team has already traveled to
Argentina and the men's soccer team has already traveled to
Barcelona, Spain. Several other teams have gone abroad as well.
“For us to have this opportunity has been amazing and the
student-athletes on our baseball team had a wonderful time and
really appreciated the opportunity,” Lenfest said.
“This will go a long way as something they'll remember for
the rest of their lives.
“We were very excited for our student-athletes to experience
this level of play," Lenfest continued. "Our takeaway is to be able
to improve the caliber of our performance from playing teams in
which baseball is so very important, as well as to provide an
educational experience for our players that will last a
lifetime.”
