VERO BEACH, Fla.- Coming off their most successful season in program history, the Norwich Baseball team took the field at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex to open their 2025 campaign. The Cadets would earn a doubleheader sweep of intrastate foe Vermont State Lyndon in their opening contests, earning Billy Whaley his first two wins as Head Coach.

Pitching led the way in game one, as Ryan Miller (Westhampton, N.Y.) took the mound for the first time since 2023 and dominated the Hornets. In six innings of work, Miller allowed two hits and a walk while striking out nine.

On the offensive side, the Cadets had several chances to break through early but were kept at bay until the bottom of the fourth. Brock Carpenter (East Berlin, Pa.) led it off with a single up the middle. The following batter, John O'Connor (Southington, Conn.), laced a double to left bringing Carpenter home. Back-to-back singles by Alex DeTomasis (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Baker Stewart (Leesburg, Va.) brought O'Connor home. Jakob Hayes (Arlington, Texas) plated DeTomasis with an RBI double to cap off the three-run frame.

Norwich added three more runs in the fifth. A leadoff walk and two hit batsmen loaded the bases with no outs, giving way to an RBI single by O'Connor bringing home Isaac Maldonado (Miami, Fla.). After a Hornets pitching chance, DeTomasis earned a free pass, bringing home Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) before Carpenter came home on an error. Blaine Butler (Copperas Cove, Texas) closed out the 6-1 win on the mound, while O'Connor led the way at the plate going 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Norwich picked up right where they left off in game two at the plate with DeTomasis bringing home Maldonado on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. They added another in the second with Carpenter driving home Jack Medhurst (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) with a single soon after a double steal, and added to their lead in the fourth with Dillan Garza (San Antonio, Texas) coming home on a passed ball.

On the mound, Jordan Talbot (Belchertown, Mass.) silenced the Lyndon bats, only permitting two hits and a walk through five innings of work. In the sixth, the Hornets drew within one on a two-run single. A sacrifice fly by O'Connor after a Franus triple widened the gap to two, but Lyndon tied the game in the bottom of the seventh forcing extra innings.

It took until the top of the tenth inning for either side to break through, where the Cadets erupted with six runs. Back-to-back walks to DeTomasis and Stewart gave way to a bunt single by Hayes, loading the bags for Medhurst. Medhurst smoked a line drive to left field, bringing home DeTomasis and Stewart to break the deadlock. Garza, the following batter, reached on a squeeze attempt plating Hayes. A sacrifice bunt by Maldonado moved the runners over, leading to an intentional pass to Franus before Miller brought home Medhurst with a sacrifice fly. A Franus steal put runners on second and third for pinch hitter Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.) who brought home both runners with an RBI single to cap off the scoring in the tenth.

James Campbell (Havertown, Pa.) held down the Hornets in extras, allowing two hits in three innings of work for the win. Isaac Parker (Jay, Maine) closed it out with a scoreless tenth to clinch the 10-4 win.

Norwich will look to build momentum on the young season as they continue their Florida trip with a twin bill against Alvernia on March 2 starting at 12 PM.