Prose for the Baseball Fan.
Two days ago Missouri State coaches hit baseballs to their players, fielders taking grounders and catching fly balls on the warning track. The players wore maroon undershirts for the most part, though a handful had already added their ghastly Desert…
First I got compared to Jesus. Then it got weird. Arkansas defeated Missouri State in a 6-hour game punctuated by a rain delay and Hogs coach Dave Van Horn showing his tusks. I stood in the well alongside the Bears…
I confess I left my notebook in my backpack when I walked down the steps to slide into the photo well next to the Missouri State dugout. My main reason? I didn’t want to get cracked in the forehead with…
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…
I roamed the concourse of Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and I asked a security guard about sunscreen stations. A ticket taker told me the stations were near the tents above the seats along the first base side. “Be careful,”…
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…