The Vermilion Ironhawks should pack some suntan lotion in addition to their bats, helmets and other gear.
That’s because sunny Florida is the destination this week for the community college baseball team’s annual trip south.
Starting Thursday, the Ironhawks will play as many as nine games over the course of the week while taking part in the RussMatt Classic, the nation’s largest collegiate spring baseball event.
Vermilion takes on Minnesota rival Ridgewater at an eight-field complex in Auburndale, located about an hour west of Orlando, to open play.
Games with schools from New York, North Dakota and Michigan are also on tap during the course of the week, including a doubleheader with Niagara, a Division III junior college powerhouse that went 56-2 last spring.
Vermilion boasts a deep pitching staff and a 25-man roster, but that depth is certain to be tested as it squares off against high-caliber competition.
“We’ll have our hands full down south, but it will be great to be outside in warm weather and to see some very good competition,” said head coach Tom Coombe. “It will be a good way to prepare for what’s to come up north.”
Vermilion looked solid in a season-opening sweep over M State-Fergus Falls on Presidents’ Day in Saint Peter, MN, and the team had four games scheduled over the weekend in Mitchell, SD.
The Florida trip, meanwhile, may provide a more difficult test for the Ironhawks, who return 15 sophomores from a team that won 20 games in 2025.
All-region catcher Martin Cubillan and All-Northern Division returnees Jo Jo Taverna and Andrew Ritter are part of a deep nucleus.
Adding some local flavor is Louie Panichi, a North Woods graduate and former Ely Legion standout who struck out seven in three innings of work in his collegiate debut. After the opener with Ridgewater and Friday’s two games with Niagara, the Ironhawks have a split twinbill in Sanford, Fla., on Saturday, March 7, with games against North Dakota State College of Science and Lake Region (ND). Doubleheaders with SUNY-Adirondack (NY) and Schoolcraft (MI) follow March 9 and 10, respectively.
Vermilion’s first scheduled game in northern Minnesota is a March 18 clash with Mesabi, on the artificial turf at Aurora.
