The New York University Baseball Team played Spring Break games in Florida for the first time in three years, and the Violets made the most of the opportunity.

Playing at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, on Sunday, March 13, the Violets swept Thomas College (ME) 6-1 and 18-3 to improve to 4-0 on the young season.

NYU last traveled down to Florida in 2020. However, before the team could start playing, Covid-19 appeared on the world stage and the team was forced to return home before even one pitch could be thrown..

This year, the Spring Break games are back on, and the Violets cruised to a pair of victories in their first action.

In the opener, Tyler Judge (2-0) was masterful on the mound, allowing only four hits, striking out six, and not allowing an earned run in five innings. He was followed by Ashwin Chona who recorded two scoreless innings.

Offense was provided by Alex VanLandingham, who tripled and drove in two runs, and by two hits each from four different players.

In the second game, the Violets broke a 1-1 tie with a four-run third inning highlighted by a pair of two-run-scoring hits from Connor Roggero and Cam Dunn. Dunn added a solo home run in the sixth, while Grant Berman contributed two hits and scored three runs.

"It's early in the year and we are trying to figure out some situational baseball," said Head Coach Doug Kimbler. "Leadership so far has been great. We're trying to stick to a philosophical plan. We did great in our two-strike approach, and the pitchers that we needed to throw today were fortunate enough to get their work in."

Jack Hassett (2-0) led a parade of five pitchers to the mound in game two, throwing five innings, allowing only two hits and striking out five batters.  

The Violets take Monday off before traveling to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for a game against Stockton University on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00pm.