Spring has finally sprung after an arctic winter in Boston, and students have arrived back to campus after a much needed spring break, accompanied by chirping birds and no more snow on Boston Common. But while students traditionally take the week off for reset and relaxation, Emerson College’s spring sports teams embark on an intense week-long spring training. 

Some Emerson teams have made spring break games a tradition of the season, while others are just starting. This year, the out-of-state Lions were represented by the women’s lacrosse team in California, the men’s lacrosse team in New Jersey, with softball, baseball, and men’s and women’s tennis all in Florida. During winter break, men’s basketball was the only other squad at Emerson to travel over the break. They faced California Lutheran University and Chapman University in California, the same teams women’s lacrosse played out on the West Coast.

Last season, women’s lacrosse traveled to Texas to play Southwestern University and Carthage College. In 2018, the men’s and women’s tennis teams took their first trip to Florida for four matches, and have returned every year since. Out of all the spring teams, baseball has traveled to Florida the most, starting in 2008.

Emerson went a combined 9-19 between all six teams over spring break, with men’s tennis having a strong 3-1 record. Their performances were recognized by the NEWMAC, which named junior Filippo Nocchi the Singles Athlete of the Week, who also earned Doubles Team of the Week alongside sophomore Connor Leung.

“Seeing them go a combined 15-0 over spring break was absolutely absurd for college tennis,” said sophomore tennis player Cameron McAllister. “The last day of spring break, we swept Transylvania University 7-0 even though they were ranked above us. Now we want to capitalize on that momentum.”

Coming from the controlled environments of playing indoors to the weather out in the Florida elements, McAllister noted how different the game felt down south at the USTA National Campus in Kissimmee, Fla.

“It can make things much more difficult when you have to play four-hour-long matches in 90-degree humidity with little breaks in between,” he said. “The sun is blasting on you, and it tests you physically and mentally to keep going.”

McAllister said that the hotter climate doesn’t deter the team from making the trip, as it’s a great opportunity for them to bond and spend time together off the court.

“Non-tennis related, it’s great, and we all look forward to it at the beginning of the semester, even if we’re in the blazing hot sun since we finally get outdoors,” he said. “It’s great for team culture, and it’s an absolute grind.”

Going forward, McAllister is hopeful for the outlook of his team’s season, especially considering their rocky past.

“This program has gone from being pretty much the worst team on campus to performing as one of its best,” McAllister said. “When you have to travel an hour for practice each day, it can be taxing, so to deal with all that, we’re playing great.”

Around 40 miles away from the tennis team, Emerson’s baseball team set up shop in Davenport, Fla. and finally played their first game of the season. A blizzard in late February postponed six of the team’s scheduled games.

The baseball team got off to a bit of a rocky start during their trip, but ended on a high note by winning back-to-back games; the first wins of new head coach Billy Uberti’s career. The second of those games was a 15-13 shootout win against Gordon College, including a home run by junior shortstop Justin Fields in the eighth inning.

“It gets me fired up for the rest of the season,” said junior pitcher Shane Moriarty. “Obviously, we have things to improve upon, and we will. It’s nearly a 40-game season, so although we did not play our best, we made a lot of positive strides the more games we played.”

But the spring trip doesn’t come without some financial hurdles for the team. Players who went on the trip were required to pay approximately $1,000 out of pocket, which covered travel, room, and food expenses for a week, players told The Beacon. Moriarty said Uberti is looking into fundraising for next year’s trip to ease the cost for players. 

“I think it would be great for more teams, like women’s basketball, to travel next year. It’s always such a fun experience competing and spending time with your teammates,” he said. “There is no better way to build camaraderie than trips like that.”

Both men’s tennis and baseball teams feel optimistic about their upcoming seasons post-spring break, and what they can accomplish in their sports.

“We’re building something special here with the guidance of Coach Uberti and the rest of the staff watching out for this program,” Moriarty said.