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…
Tag: valley
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…
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…
The catcher knelt in the dirt holding his face in his hands as if he’d lost something dear to him. In fact he lost the ball with two strikes as it bounced in the dirt and bounded to the right…