The McLean varsity baseball team traveled to Gainesville High School on March 17 for their first game of the 2025 season. Coming off their last victory, a State Championship win, the team had high hopes for the game with the majority of last year’s team returning to McLean for another season. The Highlanders, ranked the fifth best baseball team in the DC Metro area by the Washington Post, knew they would be in for a challenge if they wanted to start the season undefeated seeing as the Gainesville Cardinals were the ninth ranked team in the area.
“As long as we just let the game flow naturally, we will be fine,” said junior catcher Reid Turner. “We need to be hunting at every game just like last year.”
As the sun began to set, a bitter cold fell over the field with wind chills reaching the low 30s at first pitch. Caden Merritt, Gainesville’s starting pitcher and a Coastal Carolina commit, made quick work of the Highlanders in the top of the first. Merrit, also serving as the Cardinals leadoff hitter, hit a towering drive to center field, but an improbable leaping catch at the wall by senior Gabriel Pegues robbed Merritt of a sure extra-base hit. However, a parade of singles and doubles allowed the Cardinals to plate three runs in the bottom of the first inning, a lead which they never looked back on as the Highlanders struggled to put hits together throughout the game.
“It’s pretty simple honestly, we have got to get the bat off our shoulders,” junior left-handed pitcher Dan Ockerman said. “We haven’t done the best job of swinging the bat throughout this entire game.”
The Cardinals continued to build upon their first inning lead, amassing a 7-0 upper hand after four innings of play off of several walks committed by Highlanders pitching. Despite a late comeback effort by the Highlanders, it was too little too late as Gainesville's lead seemed insurmountable, with the Cardinals eventually pulling out a 7-3 victory to begin the season. The Highlanders will play their home opener on Friday, March 21 against the Georgetown Prep Hoyas at 6:30 PM.
“One loss won’t define our season,” Ockerman said. “As long as we keep playing and working together as a team, we will find a way to win.”
