No cheering from the press box, you know. Or the photo well. Those are next to the dugout and behind home plate. I tried to stay near Missouri State’s dugout, asking other reporters if they needed my spot every so…
Category: College
All photos taken during Missouri Valley Conference Tournament May 24-28, 2017 Hammons Field, Springfield, MO Camera: Sony A6000; lens: 55-210mm by
I know that home run talk is like fishing tales, and I’ve got a thesis full of those. Still, last Friday afternoon I sat in the front row by the visitors dugout at Hammons Field. A fan behind me asked if…
I wandered into the stadium at 10 a.m. on Sunday. After spending years volunteering with Lutherans I have plenty of prayer credit. Oh, the Lord’s name came up today. Missouri State played Illinois State once more, and though it appeared…
The best closer in the conference, Bryan Young, enters the bottom of the 9th with a six-run lead for Missouri State. He already threw 48 pitches in the first game against Indiana State, retiring 8 hitters. This opponent, Illinois State,…
Colton Johnson must have thought about pitching in the postseason. Just months ago he carried his laptop to a dorm room. Maybe he ate an ice cream cone in a dining hall. He found the practice field. He played long toss…
The Missouri State game started 50 minutes late, a regular occurrence this weekend. I wandered around the concourse watching Indiana State beat Evansville, and wondered which players were dreaming of the draft next month. Who wouldn’t? Getting drafted, like getting married, seems to…
It was 20 degrees warmer and a bit more sunny today. Missouri State played Southern Illinois, and in the first inning batter Ryan Smith hit a home run to left center. Then Greg Lambert hit one. The next inning, Will Farmer…
We start at 11:03 p.m., like it’s June in Alaska and we can play under the midnight sun. Jake Burger taps the freshly painted plate, a half-hour after receiving the player of the year award. He walks. Illinois State is…
The concrete floor is covered in rainwater, but only the ground below the first row of green chairs. I sit anyway. The 7:30 p.m. start of Missouri State and Illinois State – for which I rushed through celebratory grilled cheese…