Feature: Striking a work-play balance

The members of the baseball and softball teams are among those that know the feeling, as they can play up to 10 games during this week off. This year the baseball team went down to Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, taking on North Carolina, UNC-Greensboro, Richmond and Navy. Meanwhile, the softball team spent its break in California, facing off against Akron, Colorado State and Sacramento State in the Capital Classic in Sacramento before traveling to University of California, Berkeley and Saint Mary’s. The softball team then rounded out its break in Stockton, Calif., playing Pacific and San Diego State, as well as Saint Mary’s.

Senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Makis is among those who has to both worry about finishing his thesis and deal with the heavy schedule that spring break hands him and the team.

“I did work on my thesis over the break, as did all of our seniors,” Makis said. “We would find a spot in the lobby or a quiet room in which to make some progress.”

Theses are due in early April, so break is the opportune time for most seniors to work on it, especially those who have not made much progress yet. The juniors also have their junior papers to work on, but they have a bit more time before they are due.

“Our off-time is split up into two parts,” Makis said when asked how the team tended to spend its time during break when not playing. “In the morning, we usually have enough time to wake up, eat breakfast at the hotel and get dressed and ready for the game. After the game is when we usually have the most time. Princeton baseball fans travel very well, whether it be our parents, friends, alumni or family that live in the area in which we are playing. Many of the guys will go enjoy dinner with their relatives. Beyond dinner, guys are either working on their theses or JPs or just hanging out with teammates.”

Despite all the work they have to fit in during their trip, seniors tend to like the experience of playing so much over break. It also helps that the games tend to be in warmer environments such as California.

“I love that we have so many games over break, and I’m disappointed that two of them were canceled this year,” Makis said. “Sure, it’s tiresome, but this is what I love to do. It’s always fun to travel up and down the East Coast, see several different campuses and play at different ballparks.”

The experience also tends to be a great opportunity for the teams to bond as they spend the entirety of break together.

“Spending a lot of time with your teammates is one of the perks of playing a team sport,” Makis said. “There is great chemistry on this team, and we benefit from it both on and off the field. The best parts have to be the team camaraderie and working together to win an Ivy League Championship. We have the NCAA Regionals in our sights every year, and we’ll stop at nothing to get there again.”

With two games canceled, the baseball team had an average break in terms of actual playing, winning exactly half of its eight games. The softball team also had a game canceled but were not nearly as successful, as it was only able to pull off one win in its 10 games.