2025 High School Trip - Daily Reports
Condensed Daily Reports are listed below.
Days 1 and 2
All 20 players safely made it to hot and humid Venice today, where we began the 2025 OWB trip. After dumping luggage at our coach bus, where the team met Bart and Tomasz (our drivers) for the first time, we took water taxis to Venice proper. Coach Pags' brother (John Rapaglia) was our engaging tour guide; John lived in Venice for several years while doing his Fulbright research, and he still regularly visits Venice to conduct scientific research in the lagoon. Our sweaty group saw quite a bit of Venice and enjoyed late morning gelatos before settling down for our first team meal (a filling pasta lunch, of course), following which we made our way back to the bus for the short drive to our Padua hotel. After some gym time for the intrepid among us, much-needed showers for everyone, and a few minutes of downtime, we went into the city center for a delicious pizza dinner.
We have a full day tomorrow, starting with a walking tour of Padua and ending with our first game (against the Rovigo club). In the meantime, we all look forward to a good night’s sleep in our well air-conditioned room!
Day 3After a great breakfast spread and distribution of uniforms and swag, we had a guided walking tour of Padua. We were led by local professor Luca, who is very knowledgeable and has a very convincing Italian accent! After getting the lay of the land, including some economic and war history, a visit to Italy’s only Sept 11 memorial (or so we were told) and some time in St. Anthony’s Basilica, the team received cash for lunch and had a couple hours to find a meal to their liking.
Following lunch, the bus left for Rovigo, where we had a full pre-game workout to shake out the stiffness from the flights and our walks on Roman/Venetian stones. In addition to a lot of interesting informal discussions between players and coaches, we also had a formal mental skills session with Coach John Couture, currently at IMG Academy and The Kinkaid School (TX) and formerly with the Cleveland Guardians.
The game was against a youth team from Rovigo Baseball and Softball Club. It started as a competitive game, 1-1 after three innings, as Bennett Jacobs pitched a couple of quick innings and held them to a single run in a longer third. We scored twice in the fourth on a Sam Suniewick walk, a JW Whisenhunt single, then a couple of errors. We opened the floodgates in the next two innings as we had a lot of hard contact, the relief pitcher struggled to throw strikes, and his defense failed him multiple times. We finished with a mercy rule win of 14-1 after six innings despite rolling both the fifth and sixth innings.
Sam Teich pitched two innings and Davis Hinshaw closed out the win, neither allowing a run or a hard hit. Adam Barrington had a pair of doubles, Jackson Loomis had two hits and a walk, and JW Whisenhunt had a hit and two walks to lead a balanced attack. Julian Lemper-Turkisher scored twice and had an RBI and Mak Posley scored once and knocked in two. Postgame, we shared (another) pizza meal and some interaction with our gracious hosts.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we’ll drive to Bassano Del Grappa for the morning and lunch, then return to Padua for some free time downtown and a 7pm game against the local club.
Day 4
OWB escaped the heat and humidity of the Padua area this morning with a day trip to Bassano del Grappa, a quiet and picturesque river town at the foothills of the Dolomites. We enjoyed a stroll through the small historic center and a walk across the Ponte degli Alpini, where we spotted numerous WWI bullet holes in the neighboring buildings. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio,_Bassano)
Although we enjoyed a very filling pasta and prime beef lunch at an authentic local restaurant, the undeniable highlight of our visit was the time spent cooling our tired feet in the icy cold River Brenta.
After lunch we took the 1-hour bus ride back to Padua, where the group had 90+ minutes of down time and a mental performance session before making the short trip to the grounds of the Padova Baseball and Softball Club. Unfortunately, a few minutes after our arrival, the skies opened and biblical rain ensued. We waited futilely for the rain to abate, then lined the players up 2x2 and boarded the ark (bus) for the soggy ride back to our hotel. Instead of having the planned burgers at the field, we distributed cash to the players so they could forage for sustenance in the wilds of Padua.
Tomorrow is our only planned baseball off day prior to the last day of the trip, as well as our final day in Italy, and we’ll spend the morning in Sirmione on Lake Garda and the afternoon/evening in Verona.
Day 5
We checked out of our central Padua hotel this morning and checked into the Ark Hotel in Verona this afternoon. In between, we spent a few special hours in Sirmione on Lake Garda. The weather was glorious, great for walking the peninsula and perfect for quick drying after a swim. We walked past some Roman ruins and enjoyed a wide choice of restaurants and gelato shops.
After dropping our things at the Verona hotel, we made the most of our brief time with a guided bike tour. While riding through the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we experienced San Pietro Castle, the Roman amphitheater, a stunning basilica, the balcony setting for Romeo and Juliet and spectacular views from the hills above the city. Once the tour was complete and hunger was sufficiently developed, we settled in for a meat feast at a Brazilian Rodizio a short walk from the hotel, where we replaced all the calories burned by the day’s activities. All sated, the group is now resting.
We’ll head north tomorrow after breakfast, crossing into Austria in time for lunch and continuing to the small city of Hard for a 6pm game against a selection of players from across western Austria. We’ll drive the last 80 miles postgame to get to our Fuessen hotel, which will be our base for the four nights that follow.
Day 6
Today was Three Country Thursday!
After closing out Italy yesterday with a full tourism day, today was a very full day in a very different form. Our post-breakfast departure from Verona led us through hours of jaw-dropping views as we drove through the South Tirol region of Italy and the Dolomite mountains. In addition to staring out the windows, we utilized the bus time with a presentation by 25+ year college head coach Stan Exeter about what college coaches care about and how you survive and thrive your first year.
Just after noon we crossed into Austria for a planned lunch stop in Innsbruck. We zigged and zagged on foot for 20-25 minutes to point out a few of the main features of the city, then set the boys free to find lunch of their choosing (we conveniently separated in front of the Innsbruck Market Food Hall), and many of the boys followed Coach Pags’ advice and enjoyed their first-ever doner kebabs.
Loaded back into our bus and guided by our trusted driver Bart, we drove another 2.5 hours to the Hard Bulls ballpark on the shores of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) for our evening game. Mental performance coach John Couture spoke during this drive about utilizing mental tools to slow the game down.
Our well-attended, nine inning game against a selection of high-level players from western Austria ended with an 8-6 Old World win. Ian Parrish, Jack Bucich, Adam Barrington and Jackson Loomis each had two hits – Loomis’ included a home run late to extend the lead. Ben Couture overcame some shaky defense in the first to get us to a 3-3 tie after three. Grady Kimball and Cort Bringham followed and collectively pitched the last six innings without allowing a hit.
Finally, after having consumed traditional Austrian sausages (wrapped in bacon), we drove the last 100 miles across the German border and checked in to our Fuessen hotel.
We have 4 games in the next 3 days in Fuessen, with tomorrow’s game against a German u18 selection team beginning at 5pm, but the day will begin with a visit to the Neuschwanstein castle area.
Day 7
After a long day of bus travel yesterday, it felt great to have only a few 10 minute bus rides today. With a later start, breakfast was relaxed and we drove the few minutes to the Tegelbergbahn cable car to glide up to the mountain top. From there, we hiked across and down to the Neuschwanstein Castle. We had amazing views and made the most of it despite the trail being MUCH more challenging than expected. After crossing the Marienbruecke (Maria’s Bridge) and seeing the castle up close, we descended the remainder and returned to Füssen. Our total downhill travel was 5 miles with 3000 feet of elevation change!
After a late lunch break in the city center and. A few minutes to rest our legs, we commuted to the Füssen Royal Bavarians field (https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/most-beautiful-baseball-field-in-europe.html) for a good pre-game stretch and what turned out to be a really nice game. The 2025 OWB team is extremely positive and resilient, and the guys shook off their fatigue (without a complaint) and earned a 9-6 victory over a German travel team called the Bandits, thus stretching our record to 3-0. The Bandits were made up of several German u18 national team players, as well as guys from Spain, Israel, and Sweden.Sam Teich started and pitched 5 strong innings, with Charlie Wilhelm recording two quick outs in the sixth and Davis Hinshaw coming on to record the last four outs.
Old World had hard contact throughout the game, with Julian Lemper-Turkisher driving two triples, Shane Bussard smacking two doubles and Mak Posley adding a double and scoring two runs. The team then ate at the field alongside their opponents before returning to the hotel in the town center.
Tomorrow will see another game against the same opponent, at the same gorgeous ballpark, at 3pm.
Day 8
After a physically-arduous Friday, we had a relatively late start with an optional 11am bus to the Albsee, a picturesque alpine lake at the foot of the Schwangau castles. While a few players got some much-needed rest, most of the group elected to boat or swim in the cool, crystal clear waters. We are privileged to go to many great places as a group, but it’s very hard to match the beauty of our present surroundings.
After a pasta lunch at the ballpark, we played our second game against a team led by Germany’s 18U national team coach and comprised of players seeking roster spots on the national team. After falling behind 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th, we exploded for 8 runs in the top of the 6th (6 with 2 outs), propelling us to a 10-8 victory. Our group has had great energy off the field from the beginning of the trip, but today the team’s positivity was really felt in the dugout, and the bonds that have been created over the last week were evident in how the boys pulled for each other from start to finish. All of our pitchers had fine moments, with Bennett Jacobs delivering 4 very crisp innings before tiring, Adam Barrington pulling us out of a jam and getting us into the last inning, and JW Whisenhunt digging deep to get the final 2 outs. We have a thin pitching staff due to pre-trip injuries, and both Adam and JW are primarily position players, but they stepped up for the team and got the job done.
At the plate, the true team effort was reflected in the fact that every batter reached base. We had countless hard hit balls, including 6 extra base hits, and Cort Bringham and Jack Bucich each had multiple hit games. Bucich, Shane Bussard and Davis Hinshaw also each had 2 RBIs.
Our game was followed by dinner at La Perla, one of Fuessen’s best restaurants, and the team is now resting up for our last game day, in which the boys will have to power through a doubleheader. Given their track record so far, we know that they will!
Day 9
We had a much-needed slow start today prior to our afternoon doubleheader. With the benefit of a little extra rest, Coach Dean’s warm-up exercises, and Coach Couture’s mental performance input, the team showed no sign of physical or mental fatigue in a truly dominant performance.
OWB’s pitchers threw two shutouts, with Wes George, Ben Couture and Cort Bringham combining on a no-hitter in game 2, and Grady Kimball allowing only 3 hits in an abbreviated (mercy rule) game 1.
For the second day in a row, our bats were on fire. We outscored our opponents 21-0 on the day, with a 13-0 victory over the German 18u select team in the first game and an 8-0 victory over our gracious hosts (the Fuessen Royal Bavarians) in the second. We had 12 different batters with base knocks across the two games, with multiple hit efforts on the day from Jackson Loomis, Cort Bringham, Mak Posley, Julian Lemper-Turkisher, JW Whisenhunt, Shane Bussard and Kameron Lohse, multiple RBIs from Loomis, Whisenhunt, Bussard and Adam Barrington, and extra base hits from Loomis (including our first and only HR of the trip), Barrington, Bringham, Lemper-Turkisher, Sam Suniewick and Ian Parrish.
This coaching staff has had the pleasure of working with 12 prior OWB teams, all of which have been good to great on and off the field, but this year brought something special. We knew early on that the 2025 group was intellectually curious and very engaged with our off-field activities, but what became increasingly apparent these last few days is how much this team genuinely enjoys playing the game and how much positive energy they bring to bear. Typically, by the end of a jam-packed OWB trip, fatigue starts to set in and concentration begins to lag. That was not the case with this group, which maintained its energy, effort and concentration from start to finish, and improved every day. Two tangible examples:
1. After winning game 1, on a hot day at the end of the trip, the players took it upon themselves to take groundballs on the field before game 2.
2. After winning game 2, and having already spent 5 hours at the beautiful Fuessen ballpark, the team lingered on the field for a good long while after the game interacting with young fans and soaking in the moment.
Coach Cronk spoke for all of the coaches when he told the team, “I enjoyed coaching this team more than any other in the history of OWB. Your positive energy and game execution was second to none, even with many guys playing out of position as a result of multiple pre-trip injuries, and it was a true privilege to coach you.”
Our evening ended with a stroll and a slow-paced team meal in Fuessen’s altstadt (old town), and we are looking forward to our final day together, with a full menu of tourism.
Day 10
It’s now all over but for the goodbyes. After a full final tourism day, which began with a very sobering guided visit to the Dachau memorial site, continued with a few hours independently exploring central Munich and ended with an excellent group meal at the oldest brewery in the world (Weihenstephan), a few team members have already departed with their parents and most of the others are winding down for the night.
This day, like those before it, reflected the character of the 2025 group. At Dachau, the team asked great questions of our professional guide and listened intently and respectfully throughout the tour. It was not lost on our players that Dachau’s principal message is that it is incumbent on all of us to prevent anything like Dachau from happening again.
Our time in Munich was much lighter, as the players saw the Marienplatz, traipsed through the Hofbrauhaus (tourist trap), rented e-scooters to zip around, and watched surfers on the Eisbachwelle.
After the aforementioned Weihenstephan dinner, the day ended with speeches from our coaches and the first set of goodbyes. The rest of the group will take a last bus ride to the airport in the early morning with our drivers, Bart and Tomasz.
Days 1 and 2
All 20 players safely made it to hot and humid Venice today, where we began the 2025 OWB trip. After dumping luggage at our coach bus, where the team met Bart and Tomasz (our drivers) for the first time, we took water taxis to Venice proper. Coach Pags' brother (John Rapaglia) was our engaging tour guide; John lived in Venice for several years while doing his Fulbright research, and he still regularly visits Venice to conduct scientific research in the lagoon. Our sweaty group saw quite a bit of Venice and enjoyed late morning gelatos before settling down for our first team meal (a filling pasta lunch, of course), following which we made our way back to the bus for the short drive to our Padua hotel. After some gym time for the intrepid among us, much-needed showers for everyone, and a few minutes of downtime, we went into the city center for a delicious pizza dinner.
We have a full day tomorrow, starting with a walking tour of Padua and ending with our first game (against the Rovigo club). In the meantime, we all look forward to a good night’s sleep in our well air-conditioned room!
Day 3After a great breakfast spread and distribution of uniforms and swag, we had a guided walking tour of Padua. We were led by local professor Luca, who is very knowledgeable and has a very convincing Italian accent! After getting the lay of the land, including some economic and war history, a visit to Italy’s only Sept 11 memorial (or so we were told) and some time in St. Anthony’s Basilica, the team received cash for lunch and had a couple hours to find a meal to their liking.
Following lunch, the bus left for Rovigo, where we had a full pre-game workout to shake out the stiffness from the flights and our walks on Roman/Venetian stones. In addition to a lot of interesting informal discussions between players and coaches, we also had a formal mental skills session with Coach John Couture, currently at IMG Academy and The Kinkaid School (TX) and formerly with the Cleveland Guardians.
The game was against a youth team from Rovigo Baseball and Softball Club. It started as a competitive game, 1-1 after three innings, as Bennett Jacobs pitched a couple of quick innings and held them to a single run in a longer third. We scored twice in the fourth on a Sam Suniewick walk, a JW Whisenhunt single, then a couple of errors. We opened the floodgates in the next two innings as we had a lot of hard contact, the relief pitcher struggled to throw strikes, and his defense failed him multiple times. We finished with a mercy rule win of 14-1 after six innings despite rolling both the fifth and sixth innings.
Sam Teich pitched two innings and Davis Hinshaw closed out the win, neither allowing a run or a hard hit. Adam Barrington had a pair of doubles, Jackson Loomis had two hits and a walk, and JW Whisenhunt had a hit and two walks to lead a balanced attack. Julian Lemper-Turkisher scored twice and had an RBI and Mak Posley scored once and knocked in two. Postgame, we shared (another) pizza meal and some interaction with our gracious hosts.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we’ll drive to Bassano Del Grappa for the morning and lunch, then return to Padua for some free time downtown and a 7pm game against the local club.
Day 4
OWB escaped the heat and humidity of the Padua area this morning with a day trip to Bassano del Grappa, a quiet and picturesque river town at the foothills of the Dolomites. We enjoyed a stroll through the small historic center and a walk across the Ponte degli Alpini, where we spotted numerous WWI bullet holes in the neighboring buildings. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio,_Bassano)
Although we enjoyed a very filling pasta and prime beef lunch at an authentic local restaurant, the undeniable highlight of our visit was the time spent cooling our tired feet in the icy cold River Brenta.
After lunch we took the 1-hour bus ride back to Padua, where the group had 90+ minutes of down time and a mental performance session before making the short trip to the grounds of the Padova Baseball and Softball Club. Unfortunately, a few minutes after our arrival, the skies opened and biblical rain ensued. We waited futilely for the rain to abate, then lined the players up 2x2 and boarded the ark (bus) for the soggy ride back to our hotel. Instead of having the planned burgers at the field, we distributed cash to the players so they could forage for sustenance in the wilds of Padua.
Tomorrow is our only planned baseball off day prior to the last day of the trip, as well as our final day in Italy, and we’ll spend the morning in Sirmione on Lake Garda and the afternoon/evening in Verona.
Day 5
We checked out of our central Padua hotel this morning and checked into the Ark Hotel in Verona this afternoon. In between, we spent a few special hours in Sirmione on Lake Garda. The weather was glorious, great for walking the peninsula and perfect for quick drying after a swim. We walked past some Roman ruins and enjoyed a wide choice of restaurants and gelato shops.
After dropping our things at the Verona hotel, we made the most of our brief time with a guided bike tour. While riding through the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we experienced San Pietro Castle, the Roman amphitheater, a stunning basilica, the balcony setting for Romeo and Juliet and spectacular views from the hills above the city. Once the tour was complete and hunger was sufficiently developed, we settled in for a meat feast at a Brazilian Rodizio a short walk from the hotel, where we replaced all the calories burned by the day’s activities. All sated, the group is now resting.
We’ll head north tomorrow after breakfast, crossing into Austria in time for lunch and continuing to the small city of Hard for a 6pm game against a selection of players from across western Austria. We’ll drive the last 80 miles postgame to get to our Fuessen hotel, which will be our base for the four nights that follow.
Day 6
Today was Three Country Thursday!
After closing out Italy yesterday with a full tourism day, today was a very full day in a very different form. Our post-breakfast departure from Verona led us through hours of jaw-dropping views as we drove through the South Tirol region of Italy and the Dolomite mountains. In addition to staring out the windows, we utilized the bus time with a presentation by 25+ year college head coach Stan Exeter about what college coaches care about and how you survive and thrive your first year.
Just after noon we crossed into Austria for a planned lunch stop in Innsbruck. We zigged and zagged on foot for 20-25 minutes to point out a few of the main features of the city, then set the boys free to find lunch of their choosing (we conveniently separated in front of the Innsbruck Market Food Hall), and many of the boys followed Coach Pags’ advice and enjoyed their first-ever doner kebabs.
Loaded back into our bus and guided by our trusted driver Bart, we drove another 2.5 hours to the Hard Bulls ballpark on the shores of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) for our evening game. Mental performance coach John Couture spoke during this drive about utilizing mental tools to slow the game down.
Our well-attended, nine inning game against a selection of high-level players from western Austria ended with an 8-6 Old World win. Ian Parrish, Jack Bucich, Adam Barrington and Jackson Loomis each had two hits – Loomis’ included a home run late to extend the lead. Ben Couture overcame some shaky defense in the first to get us to a 3-3 tie after three. Grady Kimball and Cort Bringham followed and collectively pitched the last six innings without allowing a hit.
Finally, after having consumed traditional Austrian sausages (wrapped in bacon), we drove the last 100 miles across the German border and checked in to our Fuessen hotel.
We have 4 games in the next 3 days in Fuessen, with tomorrow’s game against a German u18 selection team beginning at 5pm, but the day will begin with a visit to the Neuschwanstein castle area.
Day 7
After a long day of bus travel yesterday, it felt great to have only a few 10 minute bus rides today. With a later start, breakfast was relaxed and we drove the few minutes to the Tegelbergbahn cable car to glide up to the mountain top. From there, we hiked across and down to the Neuschwanstein Castle. We had amazing views and made the most of it despite the trail being MUCH more challenging than expected. After crossing the Marienbruecke (Maria’s Bridge) and seeing the castle up close, we descended the remainder and returned to Füssen. Our total downhill travel was 5 miles with 3000 feet of elevation change!
After a late lunch break in the city center and. A few minutes to rest our legs, we commuted to the Füssen Royal Bavarians field (https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/most-beautiful-baseball-field-in-europe.html) for a good pre-game stretch and what turned out to be a really nice game. The 2025 OWB team is extremely positive and resilient, and the guys shook off their fatigue (without a complaint) and earned a 9-6 victory over a German travel team called the Bandits, thus stretching our record to 3-0. The Bandits were made up of several German u18 national team players, as well as guys from Spain, Israel, and Sweden.Sam Teich started and pitched 5 strong innings, with Charlie Wilhelm recording two quick outs in the sixth and Davis Hinshaw coming on to record the last four outs.
Old World had hard contact throughout the game, with Julian Lemper-Turkisher driving two triples, Shane Bussard smacking two doubles and Mak Posley adding a double and scoring two runs. The team then ate at the field alongside their opponents before returning to the hotel in the town center.
Tomorrow will see another game against the same opponent, at the same gorgeous ballpark, at 3pm.
Day 8
After a physically-arduous Friday, we had a relatively late start with an optional 11am bus to the Albsee, a picturesque alpine lake at the foot of the Schwangau castles. While a few players got some much-needed rest, most of the group elected to boat or swim in the cool, crystal clear waters. We are privileged to go to many great places as a group, but it’s very hard to match the beauty of our present surroundings.
After a pasta lunch at the ballpark, we played our second game against a team led by Germany’s 18U national team coach and comprised of players seeking roster spots on the national team. After falling behind 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th, we exploded for 8 runs in the top of the 6th (6 with 2 outs), propelling us to a 10-8 victory. Our group has had great energy off the field from the beginning of the trip, but today the team’s positivity was really felt in the dugout, and the bonds that have been created over the last week were evident in how the boys pulled for each other from start to finish. All of our pitchers had fine moments, with Bennett Jacobs delivering 4 very crisp innings before tiring, Adam Barrington pulling us out of a jam and getting us into the last inning, and JW Whisenhunt digging deep to get the final 2 outs. We have a thin pitching staff due to pre-trip injuries, and both Adam and JW are primarily position players, but they stepped up for the team and got the job done.
At the plate, the true team effort was reflected in the fact that every batter reached base. We had countless hard hit balls, including 6 extra base hits, and Cort Bringham and Jack Bucich each had multiple hit games. Bucich, Shane Bussard and Davis Hinshaw also each had 2 RBIs.
Our game was followed by dinner at La Perla, one of Fuessen’s best restaurants, and the team is now resting up for our last game day, in which the boys will have to power through a doubleheader. Given their track record so far, we know that they will!
Day 9
We had a much-needed slow start today prior to our afternoon doubleheader. With the benefit of a little extra rest, Coach Dean’s warm-up exercises, and Coach Couture’s mental performance input, the team showed no sign of physical or mental fatigue in a truly dominant performance.
OWB’s pitchers threw two shutouts, with Wes George, Ben Couture and Cort Bringham combining on a no-hitter in game 2, and Grady Kimball allowing only 3 hits in an abbreviated (mercy rule) game 1.
For the second day in a row, our bats were on fire. We outscored our opponents 21-0 on the day, with a 13-0 victory over the German 18u select team in the first game and an 8-0 victory over our gracious hosts (the Fuessen Royal Bavarians) in the second. We had 12 different batters with base knocks across the two games, with multiple hit efforts on the day from Jackson Loomis, Cort Bringham, Mak Posley, Julian Lemper-Turkisher, JW Whisenhunt, Shane Bussard and Kameron Lohse, multiple RBIs from Loomis, Whisenhunt, Bussard and Adam Barrington, and extra base hits from Loomis (including our first and only HR of the trip), Barrington, Bringham, Lemper-Turkisher, Sam Suniewick and Ian Parrish.
This coaching staff has had the pleasure of working with 12 prior OWB teams, all of which have been good to great on and off the field, but this year brought something special. We knew early on that the 2025 group was intellectually curious and very engaged with our off-field activities, but what became increasingly apparent these last few days is how much this team genuinely enjoys playing the game and how much positive energy they bring to bear. Typically, by the end of a jam-packed OWB trip, fatigue starts to set in and concentration begins to lag. That was not the case with this group, which maintained its energy, effort and concentration from start to finish, and improved every day. Two tangible examples:
1. After winning game 1, on a hot day at the end of the trip, the players took it upon themselves to take groundballs on the field before game 2.
2. After winning game 2, and having already spent 5 hours at the beautiful Fuessen ballpark, the team lingered on the field for a good long while after the game interacting with young fans and soaking in the moment.
Coach Cronk spoke for all of the coaches when he told the team, “I enjoyed coaching this team more than any other in the history of OWB. Your positive energy and game execution was second to none, even with many guys playing out of position as a result of multiple pre-trip injuries, and it was a true privilege to coach you.”
Our evening ended with a stroll and a slow-paced team meal in Fuessen’s altstadt (old town), and we are looking forward to our final day together, with a full menu of tourism.
Day 10
It’s now all over but for the goodbyes. After a full final tourism day, which began with a very sobering guided visit to the Dachau memorial site, continued with a few hours independently exploring central Munich and ended with an excellent group meal at the oldest brewery in the world (Weihenstephan), a few team members have already departed with their parents and most of the others are winding down for the night.
This day, like those before it, reflected the character of the 2025 group. At Dachau, the team asked great questions of our professional guide and listened intently and respectfully throughout the tour. It was not lost on our players that Dachau’s principal message is that it is incumbent on all of us to prevent anything like Dachau from happening again.
Our time in Munich was much lighter, as the players saw the Marienplatz, traipsed through the Hofbrauhaus (tourist trap), rented e-scooters to zip around, and watched surfers on the Eisbachwelle.
After the aforementioned Weihenstephan dinner, the day ended with speeches from our coaches and the first set of goodbyes. The rest of the group will take a last bus ride to the airport in the early morning with our drivers, Bart and Tomasz.
