The Norwalk High Bears baseball team is coming off a disappointing season going 14-10 and having an upset loss in the FCIAC tournament vs Wilton, losing first round. They then went to the state tournament and lost in the second round vs Ennfield. With a new captain at the helm, the boys have been putting in tons of work over the offseason.
After an interview with senior caption Matt Rinaldi, we asked what he thinks their biggest struggle was as a team. Matt told us that the teams consistent hitting held them back in important games such as Darien last year, where they only put up two runs. Matt Rinaldi also talked about offseason prep, batting practice and also having weight room twice a week. All together as a team they start their workout with a 1 mile jog to warm up their legs and get loose. They then proceed to go down to the weight room to start lifting weights. On Tuesdays the boys are doing upper body exercises like bench press, chin ups, overhead push ,and biceps curls. On Thursdays they will do lower body workouts such as split squats, wall sits, and planks.
Over the weekend the baseball team has many different indoor workouts such as going to Tucci Lumber from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. for pitchers and catchers to get loose and there arms ready for the season. The hitters then head over to the CSP facility on Saturdays from 1:30-3:30. The team goes over many hitting drill such as tee work, and going live off the machine. On Sunday nights Coach Mitchell and Captain Matt Rinaldi host the captains workouts from 7:00-9:00. With help from coaches Vinny Carlucci and Eddie McCabe, The coaches will split the team into the respective positions groups. For example the outfielders might go and hit for the first hour while the infielders get their reps and then they will switch.
The boys are putting in a bunch of work during the off-season but beside the work, it’s getting the team chemistry going. These guys have been playing beside each other for a while but still getting the chemistry flowing early. heading to McDonald’s after the Sunday night workouts is one way the boys like to build that chemistry. Good luck this season Norwalk high Baseball!!!
