Practice has just concluded for the Hamilton High varsity baseball team. After a few hours of various fielding and hitting drills, a stream of exhausted, young athletes hastily make their way to the nearly-vacated student parking lot and begin to file out in anticipation for a team dinner.

This Hamilton tradition began 19 years ago when head coach Mike Woods borrowed the idea from Mountain View High head coach and friend Mike Thiel. Woods adopted the tradition in an attempt to increase team bonding as well as to offer parents an insight into the team’s relationship.

When the tradition began in 2000, the team dinner was meant to be a single, small, fun event for the baseball team and the parents of the players. The first one was such a roaring success that it turned into a huge weekly tradition.

“At the beginning, we asked parents to host one time,” Woods said. “The idea took off and now parents team up, sometimes hosting two to four dinners a season.”

Woods likes to believe that these gatherings play a significant role in on-field productivity. With six state championships, it’s hard to argue him.

Every Monday following practice, a dinner is held at a different player’s house as parents play host to a hungry Hamilton team. Just mere miles down the road from Hamilton High on a recent Monday, team dinner is being provided by pitcher Dustin Bermudez’s family.

The Arizona sun radiates on the backyard of the Bermudez residence. Fresh cilantro, lime and orange trees border the brick walls of the backyard. Baseball cleats mush atop the freshly cut grass as players snag water, soda and Gatorade from two Igloo coolers. Three caged Cockatoo birds rest calmly above a smoky grill in which carne asada is being prepared. Fold-out tables and chairs are aligned in an L-shape as a sea of over 20 maroon and white jerseys converse and laugh over homemade guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips.

“We have a lot of diversity on this team and it’s a great experience to immerse yourself in different cultures and foods,” first baseman Tyler Wilson said.

An organized line begins to form near the grill as Bermudez’s parents, Martin and Lorena, load the players' plates with the main course -- carne asada, homemade beans and flour tortillas.

“The kids get so excited for these team dinners, and to see them with smiles on their faces while eating our carne asada is great,” Martin Bermudez said.

“The importance of having these team dinners is the bonding aspect,” outfielder Talley Wright said. “They’re really helpful with bringing us together and connecting with the team as a whole.”

Woods scans the backyard, humbled that his goal of team bonding has come to fruition.

“The most rewarding thing is seeing the guys in their home environment and continuing to build those relationships off the field,” Woods said.

The temperature begins to cool as the sun ascends and the team dinner comes to a close.

Martin and Lorena Bermudez happily look on as the varsity baseball team vacates their home with full stomachs and smiles.

“We love to pitch in with the team dinners and we love welcoming the team into our home -- that’s what being a Husky is all about,” Martin Bermudez said.