During his Florida trip with the Upper Perkiomen baseball team, Elias Gabel-Tripp swam in the Atlantic Ocean and ate alligator.

        "It tasted like chicken," he said.

        For five days last week, the Indians escaped to the Cocoa Expo Sports Center – a resort style sports complex on the east coast of Florida – for spring training.

        Head coach Frank Mercon called the trip his dream for the team to get a solid start to the new season while building comradery.

        "It was a tremendous experience," he said. "The team really bonded."

On the flight home, Gabel-Tripp realized he would remember the trip for the rest of his life. The infielder said it strengthened the bonds between the players.

        "We're more like brothers now," Gabel-Tripp said. "We had a lot of fun."

        A baseball parent approached Mercon three years ago with the idea to create a booster club to raise money for a spring training trip.

        "I loved it," the coach said.

        Players began raising money for the trip two years ago, according to Gabel-Tripp. Mercon said the advertising signage at Bonekemper Field funded three-quarters of the cost, and that each student was responsible to raise $300.

        Mercon said he would like to make the trip a permanent part of the program.

        On four of the days last week, the team's 16 varsity players and two coaches spent six hours practicing the game at the resort, which features a championship stadium and seven full-sized baseball fields, according to its website. They split a pair of scrimmages during the week, losing to Barrington, Ill. before defeating a team from Lakeville North High School in Minnesota.

        A violent storm on March 26 cancelled their scheduled meeting with South Fayette Township High School, near Pittsburgh, according to Mercon.

        During some free time, the players spent three hours at nearby Cocoa Beach. According to Gabel-Tripp, eight of them slept in a room slightly larger than a college dormitory room. At an exotic restaurant, he and a teammate dined on fried alligator tail.

        Mercon said his team's crisp practices on fields in perfect condition featured a high level of fundamentals.

        "They went real fast," the coach said.

        According to Mercon, the Indians – who opened their season with a 2-1 win over Pennridge on Tuesday – have gotten more pre-season practice time on the field this season than in the two previous seasons combined.

        He said the additional work is evident in their improved infield defense.

        Gabel-Tripp expressed hope that the trip will give them a head start over their Pioneer Athletic Conference opponents.

        "We're coming into the season with a lot of confidence," he said.

        According to Mercon, the confidence several players gained last summer while helping Perkiomen's American Legion team capture the Bux-Mont League postseason title, which includes center fielder Bryan Pijanowski, catcher Jake Breyer, Kacey Myers, shortstop Brett Fullerton and Gabel-Tripp, should help Upper Perkiomen succeed this spring.

        The coach said pitching depth is a key strength. Matt Schneider is scheduled to start the team's PAC-10 opener Wednesday at Spring-Ford, while Myers will face Boyertown at home Friday.

Mercon identified Trey Livingstone, Trevor Stephen and Robert Guzman as significant newcomers.