When the Oak Harbor High School baseball team coaching staff scheduled a three-day trip to Eastern Washington, the goal was much more than to play a few games.

Co-head coaches Cody Anderson and Tyson VanDam saw it as an opportunity to bring the team together.

“It was fun from the team perspective,” VanDam said. “The team bonded really well; the kids were able to build some friendships outside of baseball.”

Itinerary

The trip included two games in Hanford — one with the host school Friday night, March 17, and another against Pendleton, Ore., Saturday morning.

On the return trip Sunday, Oak Harbor stopped by the University of Washington to watch the Huskies defeat Utah and take a tour of the UW baseball facilities.

The college game, Anderson said, showed the Wildcats “what they need to do to be successful” and what it takes to play at that level.

During the weekend, the players shared stories on the long bus ride, gravitated to the seniors’ hotel room to socialize during down time and piled into the hot tub — all signs, the coaches and players said, that the trip was bringing the group together.

Players’ reaction

“We found out a lot about each other,” senior Steven Richards said.

“You learn a lot when you spend seven hours on a bus,” senior Dylan Bailey added.

“It went really well with our team bonding,” senior Trent Benson said.

The trip brought the different classes closer together, according to the players.

“The young guys really enjoyed it and enjoyed hanging out with the seniors,” Richards said.

Whether it helps in the long run, Benson said, “depends on how everybody takes it.”

Oak Harbor (0-1, 0-3) returns to Western Conference play this week when it plays Everett (1-0, 1-0) at Shorewood High School at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21. The Wildcats host Marysville-Pilchuck (0-0, 0-2) at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 22.