The Tufts Baseball Team traveled to the Dominican Republic over Thanksgiving break to get in some baseball against excellent competition, experience the rich culture of the DR, and perform some community service. All in all the trip was a resounding success. The team played the Academy teams of The KC Royals and Red Sox along with the National Policia team and the LBI All Stars. The Jumbos came away with a 2-2 record defeating the academy team of the Royals 9-8 and the Red Sox 11-0 while losing 4-1 to the LBI All Stars and 4-3 to the Policia. The Jumbos used their complete roster on the trip and the group got some great experience under their belts for the 2020 campaign.
The Jumbos attended a Winter League baseball game watching rivals Licey and Escogido battle it out. The guys were struck by the festive atmosphere and the quality of the baseball. Several MLB players were on the field including Hanley Ramirez and Aristides Aquino.
After our game against the Policia on Saturday we returned to the village of Gautier to paint a few houses. Although the poverty strikes you, the overwhelming positive spirit of the people in the village was truly inspiring. The guys responded with great effort painting every nook and cranny of the homes and had a wonderful time interacting with the children of the village. The two men whose homes we painted were extremely thankful. This was by far the most rewarding part of our trip.
We are very grateful to the several alums who stepped up and helped defray some of the cost. We certainly returned to Medford a tight knit group and look forward to seeing it pay dividends this spring!
See below several pictures from our trip:
