Baseball in Paradise

by monksathletics

My name is Joe Coyne.  I am preparing for what has the potential to be one of the best summers of my life right now.  I was given the opportunity to play in the Hawaiian Collegiate Baseball League this summer and I am currently getting ready for my trip out there.  Back in the fall, Coach Sanborn asked me if I would be interested in playing in Hawaii this summer,  I could not pass up that opportunity.  All year I’ve done my best to focus primarily on our college season at St. Joe’s and with the conclusion of that season its really hitting me that I’m actually going out to Hawaii to do one of my favorite things, play baseball.

I’ve talked to Mike Pratt, Chad Rafferty, and Sam Murray, who were fortunate enough to play out in Hawaii last year, and they have all generally told me the same thing, “it’s gonna be the time of your life”.  I dont think that it will actually hit me until I’m on the plane that I’m really going out there but I’m doing my best right now to prepare for my trip.  I’m making sure I have plenty of bathing suits, a healthy amount of sunscreen, and of course some bats.  Also, I’m getting mentally ready for a 13 hour flight.   It’s a good thing I’m not scared of flying…Oh wait, I am…but thats beside the point.  On June 12th I will fly out of Logan Airport in Boston early in the morning.  There will be one stop over in Atlanta and from there I will fly directly out to Hawaii.

Once I’m out there we will play 6 games a week for 2 months.  It should be interesting to see what we’ll do while we’re not playing baseball.  I’m looking forward to exploring the island and making new friends out there.  It’s also going to be interesting communicating with people back home considering the 6 hour time difference.  I’m beyond excited to experience all that Hawaii has to offer and can’t wait to get out there!

So thats it for this week, I’ll keep writing weekly about my experiences out there.  Thanks for reading!