Opening day of this spring’s high school baseball season has arrived and to ring in the new season, the varsity Falcon baseball team held their third annual “First Pitch Dinner” at Cypress Point Country Club. The purpose is to gather players, coaches, and parents, along with a guest speaker to speak about the upcoming season and how they should approach it.

This event has now become a tradition for the baseball team as seniors and juniors have taken part in this dinner since it’s start three years ago.

According to Head Coach Matt Ittner, he refers to the dinner as a key event in his program to get his players in the winning mindset and the parents excited for their kid’s spring baseball season.

This year’s guest speaker was former MLB right-handed relief pitcher Wayne Gomes. Gomes pitched five seasons in the major leagues for the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and the Boston Red Sox.

Gomes spoke about how he made it ‘big leagues’ and what obstacles he faced along the way. He mentioned that during one of his seasons with the Phillies, his son was born blind, and that it was  difficult to refocus his attention on a 162-game season when there were bigger problems to solve.

Gomes also hit on his everyday life, how he prepared for every game, what his mindset was during a game, some of his favorite moments, and some of his favorite teammates. However, Gomes spoke on how different team environments can influence winning and the experiences he had with his winning teams.

“The event allowed us to gather and listen to a man with far more experience than all of us, and it gave us a piece of that winning mindset we will need throughout the season,” sophomore Conner Worth said.

The Falcons began their season on Tuesday, March 14, when they faced off at Princess Anne High School against the Cavaliers, and then opened up at the Falcon’s Tilley Field, home of the Falcons, on Thursday, March 16, at 4 p.m.