Groton — Someday soon, Connor Harris and Rian Schwede, Mystic Schooners teammates and roommates, will head off in different directions and return to college.

It could have been as early as Saturday, depending on the outcome of Friday night’s New England Collegiate Baseball League best-of-three opening round playoff series game against Bristol at Fitch High School.

Mike and Gloria Stergio of Salem, who served as the host family for the two Mystic pitchers, are dreading that day. They watched Friday’s game from beyond the left-field fence until the fog rolled through in the sixth inning, postponing the conclusion of the game.

“It’s been a great experience, to be honest with you,” Mike said earlier in the afternoon. “These two kids are absolutely incredible young men. They’re polite, caring, self-sufficient. It’s really been a delight, especially for my wife. She refers to them as her boys. They really are.

“It’s kinda depressing to a point that they’re not going to be here. They’re family.”

Like the Stergios, Harris and Schwede got more out of the summer baseball experience than they expected.

The two Schooners players formed a tight bond not only with each other but also their host family.

It’s a connection that will last far beyond the final out of Mystic’s season.

“Beautiful people, beautiful hearts,” Schwede said. “They care so much about me and Connor. It’s really just eye-opening to see. Two beautiful humans that actually care so much about just two kids that come into their house for the summer. ... It’s been unreal.”

Call it fate, or just plain coincidence that brought Harris, Schwede and the Stergio family together.

It started in 2022 when Harris, who’s from Avon, played his first season with the Schooners. He already had a connection with the Stergio family, as his mother Sharon was Traci Stergio’s college roommate at Central Connecticut State University and close friend.

Sharon stayed in contact with Mike and Gloria after their daughter Traci passed away in 2011 at the age of 39 from breast cancer.

“They came to two or three games at Dodd (Stadium) and obviously they knew the connection and they sat with my mom,” Connor Harris said. “Half-jokingly and half-not, Mike Stergio told my mom if he ever comes back here, we want to host him.”

Fast-forward to this season.

When Harris returned to the Schooners, he moved in with the Stergios, a first-time host family, for the summer.

“When I found out I was coming back here, that was a no-brainer,” Harris said. “So we reached out and they were really receptive to it and really loved it. I got there at the beginning of the summer. It’s been really fun.

“They’re just really, really good people. They do everything in their power to make us feel good so we can come out here and perform each and every day.”

The connections didn’t end there.

Schwede has his own cancer story.

In 2020 at the age of 19, Schwede endured a difficult treatment period after being diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer that spread to his lymph nodes. He underwent emergency surgery and had four rounds of chemotherapy all during the pandemic.

Schwede, who attended Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts at the time, continued to play baseball whenever he could.

Mystic manager Phil Orbe, who went to Montville High School with Traci, helped place Schwede with the Stergios. Schwede, who’s from Hanson, Massachussets, also played with Harris on the 2022 Schooners team.

“When we had to assign host families, I know that Rian and Connor knew each other because they played together in 2022 and knowing the role that cancer has played in the Stergio family, I thought it was a natural fit,” Orbe said. “I never told the Stergios that Rian overcame cancer.

“They’ve been one of our success stories for host families. Host families are the livelihood of our organization. We can’t do anything without them. As a first time host family and them having connections like that, to me was significant. A little bit of a coincidence, but also significant.”

It ended up being significant to Schwede, too.

“I’m getting to bond with the family that’s gone through a very similar process,” Schwede said. “It’s really good to get to know them and be able to share my story with them and they also share their story about their daughter. It’s been something that I’ve really cherished with them.”

There are countless fond memories about their summer with the Stergios that Harris and Schwede will carry with them on their journey.

Harris will miss the fresh pineapple and homemade granola that Gloria provides for breakfast.

They’ll both think about their time hanging out in “The Bunker.”

“The Bunker” is sort of Mike Stergio’s man cave. The basement room has two comfortable recliners and a big TV. Family photos hang on the walls.

Just recently, Mike added one more picture to his collection of memories — a framed photo of Harris and Schwede that both players signed.

“That’s where we’ll go when we get back from a game late at night,” Harris said. “We’ll go down there and watch a little SportsCenter. They’ve always got the fridge stocked with Gatorades and she’s got the Cheez-Its down there. She’s always baking something.”

Schwede will cherish the simple moments hanging out at the house.

“Getting to know the Stergios has been a whole different experience — spiritually and then obviously bonding together over everything else,” Schwede said. “Mike is a great guy. I can talk to Mike all night. Gloria is just amazing. She’s the mom of moms. She does everything possible.”

It will be an emotional day when Harris and Schwede say goodbye to each other and the Stergio family.

Harris will finish his college baseball career at Winthrop in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Schwede, who attended Villanova last school year, is still figuring out his next college destination.

Gloria will miss her regular interaction with “her boys.”

“They fit in so well,” Gloria said. “They’re so well-mannered. They make their own breakfast. They make up their own beds. They do their laundry. … They’re very, very respectful. I’m like, who raises these kids?”

”... We’ll miss them. It is going to be strange.”

It’s a safe bet that they’ll all stay in touch.

“We’ve already talked about it,” Harris said. “The next time when we’re in the area, we’ll go get dinner or go out, just have a good time. We talked about some of the memories that we made from this summer.”

g.keefe@theday.com