Royal Oak

On the road again

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

Photo by David Schreiber Shortstop Eddie Murray has been on three trips with the Royal Oak baseball team during the spring break vacation.

Annual road trip is the key to team bonding and success on the field

ROYAL OAK — Brian Gordon is the head coach for a high school baseball team.


But from April 4-11, he and his Royal Oak High squad will endure a schedule reminiscent of the major leagues.

In that eight-day span, the Ravens will play eight games while traveling roughly 700 miles.


The grueling road trip isn’t because of a scheduling malfunction, either. It’s all Gordon’s design, one that he calls “the fuel” to his team’s success.

“We’ve been doing these trips at the start of the season for years,” he said March 26.

“It’s a tradition we’ve built on every year. The guys enjoy it. It’s the perfect way to begin a

new season.”

The Ravens will depart from Royal Oak April 4 and travel to play Kalamazoo Central in a doubleheader that afternoon. From there, the team will head to Traverse City, where it will then go north for a doubleheader at Suttons Bay High. On the way back home, the Ravens will stop at Ludington High for a third doubleheader.

“We don’t have to go too far on (April 11),” Gordon joked about the team’s three-mile journey to Ferndale High for the final doubleheader in the eight-day frame.

Still, the trek across the northwest portion of the state has to do more with team building and chemistry than it does wins and losses. As Gordon said, these trips have become a sort of tradition, much like the success of the program.

A year ago, the Ravens went to Florida for a week, and then cruised to a 26-7 season that ended in the regional finals. In years past, destinations have included Cincinnati, Mount Pleasant and Disney World.

“It’s almost like we’re one step ahead of the competition when we get back and start playing teams around here,” said senior shortstop Eddie Murray, a four-year starter who has been on three previous trips. “We come back having already played a bunch of games, while other teams have either been off for a week or just practicing. It’s a huge advantage.”

“We got back one year from having played a week in the sun, and it was snowing here,” said senior first baseman James Englehart, a three-year starter. “Most other teams had barely been outside to practice.”

When the Ravens returned from Florida a year ago, they hit the ground running, winning their first eight games. That, of course, was with a team loaded with veterans. This year’s squad returns only four starters and has some inexperienced kids playing in serious roles.

 “It’s a great way for these kids to get to know each other away from school, build some friendships and learn what it’s like to play and compete with one another,” Gordon said.

“A lot of these guys have never experienced anything like this. … At the same time, I’m a firm believer that you can’t take a week off at the start of the season and come back and be competitive. This prevents that entirely while we have some fun.”

“It’s definitely going to be a cool experience,” freshman catcher Nick Czajkowski said with a smile. “I know we’re looking forward to it.”

Wins and losses will be had during the trip, and much like the bus ride, there will inevitably be some bumps along the way. But when asked how important results are on a trip like this, Gordon was quick to answer.

“To be honest, we never talk too much about wins and losses, specifically,” he said.

“We’ve always had the philosophy that if you play hard, do the little things the right way, throw strikes and play solid defense, winning will take care of itself. This trip is about a lot more than how many wins or losses we have. Our focus will be on doing the things the right way. If we do that, the cards will fall as they may.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1038.