The Group

Are you curious about the URL of this site? Eighth inning stretch?
Isn't it suppose to be the seventh inning stretch? 

Yes, but for this Writers Colony, there's eight of us. Four girls. Four guys. We're a pretty neat bunch.

...

Allow us to introduce ourselves...

Kaylie Schuster - 

Hi all! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Kaylie, and I will be a senior at Coe in the fall. I just finished up my junior year in the nursing program and I am really looking forward to taking a class that has nothing to do with learning about heart sounds or what various medications do! 

I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, which is where my love for baseball originally began. I have to give credit to my dad for instilling within me the love of the game. He's been a die hard baseball fan for many years, I guess it was just inevitable that I, too, would learn to love the game! As a kid, I spent many days with my family at Kauffman stadium cheering on the Royals in the hot and humid Kansas City summer. Even though my family loved attending Royals games, our house is home to some of the biggest St. Louis Cardinals fans I know! I can remember countless nights while I was growing up, sitting in front of the TV, cheering on the redbirds from our living room. I've been lucky enough to attend a lot of MLB games in my life, and I am looking forward to adding 11 more stadiums to my 'have seen' list by the beginning of June!

My dad and I at my first ever St. Louis Cardinals game!

Hailley Fargo -

Hi everyone, I'm Hailley (aka the Blog Captain). I just graduated from Coe with a major in English and minors in French and Writing. I'm an aspiring librarian, headed to University of Illinois Urbana Champaign this fall to pursue a graduate degree in library science. But, I'm thrilled to be on this trip as a final hurrah to my time at Coe! 

For me, baseball began when I was a small child playing teeball with my dad as the coach. Baseball was always a family affair for the Fargos. From Sunday night practices, to Mallards baseball games, to just playing catch in the backyard (step and throw!), this sport was a staple of my summers. I know the mechanics of the game pretty well but haven't been to many MLB parks. This trip is the perfect blend of baseball, adventure, and writing!

Rachel Kingham -

Hello internet! I am a Flute Performance Major and Baseball Enthusiast at Coe College. I will be a senior in the fall, but I try not to think about that too much. The real world beyond college is just too scary. I'll take a month of reading and writing about baseball while touring the country to see games any day. I also get the pleasure of serving as class photographer, so add taking thousands of photos to my job description. It's a lot of work, but it's all for the love of the game.

My mom tried to get me into baseball as a young child, but true to my stubborn personality, I ignored it for years until I rediscovered the sport on my own by reading the newspaper of all crazy things. By that point in my life, I had begun playing softball, which meant that I could better understand what was going on in the game. I fell in love with the Rockies and Troy Tulowitzki in particular, which later led to a love of the game as a whole. Now I get the exciting opportunity to explore ten new ballparks in addition to revisiting my beloved Coors Field. Here's to the great trip ahead! I can't wait for all the amazing experiences that are to come!

Brendan McLean - 

My name is Brendan and I am now a junior double majoring in music and religion at Coe College. I originally hail from Kansas and have no idea what my life looks like beyond college. So, I'll take a month in baseball paradise! I am also the class foodie, being a fan of all ballpark foods. 

When it comes to my personal experience with baseball, I've always been more of a fan than a player. My playing career began with T-ball in kindergarten and ended with a winless season with my first junior club ball team in sixth grade. However, the fandom of baseball had been instilled in me as a very young child due to my grandma's passion for the game. I evolved as a fan from simply watching major and minor league baseball games for fun with the family to keeping scorebooks for games and doing the scoreboard for my sister's softball games. This not only cultivated a deep and reverent appreciation for the game, but also encouraged a pursuit of knowledge of the history of baseball. Traveling the western half of the country ballpark to ballpark is an adventure I am more than ready to pursue!

I'll leave you with a baseball "math" question: Runner on first, runner on third. The batter hits a grounder to you, the shortstop. Where do you throw?

Katie Guinane

Hello! I'm Katie Guinane, I just completed my freshman year at Coe, making me the "baby" on the trip. I have not officially determined my major since it is not yet required of me but if baseball was an option for a major I'd choose that. I have loved watching baseball since I was very young and began to watch my older brother play. I remember being a little sour about the fact that I was too young to play on a team when he was, so I had to settle for watching from behind the dugout until his coach made me their bat girl. I was so excited to be wearing my jersey that was most likely a couple sizes too big just so I could be in the dugout and on the field for a little bit during the game. While we lived in Texas until I was about nine, the first baseball team I saw play was the Rangers. When I first saw them play Michael Young was just starting out with the Rangers and out there with him was Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Rusty Greer, and Ivan, Pudge, Rodriguez behind the plate. Since watching them play I fell in love with the game of baseball and the Texas Rangers. As I grew up I was old enough to play softball and developed a passion for the game. I played in our towns rec league until I was asked to play a year ahead my 8th grade year on our high school softball team. 

I was very excited last fall when I was told about this May Term and I have loved every second of it. It has been on my Bucket List to see every MLB stadium and this is helping me mark off a few more. :)

My family and I at a Rangers game, probably about 12 years ago. 

Mike Woolf -- 

Yo, my name is Mike Woolf, and I just graduated from Coe with majors in Economics and Business Administration. My life goals right now are to end up in the finance world and I am planning on working as a financial adviser at Edward Jones this September. I was ecstatic to be selected as one of the eight members on this trip, and have enjoyed my experiences thus far.

Baseball was introduced into my life as a very young child playing catch with my dad and when I was seven years old my grandpa took my brother and I to our first game. Growing up on the north side of Chicago my family and I have been die hard Cubs fans through better or worse for as long as I can remember. This trip for me is allowing me to experience adventures and journeys that I could not have been able to experience on my own and thus far it has yet to disappoint.

Ryan Rey -- 

My name is Ryan Rey, I am from Plainfield Illinois, and am majoring in Business and Environmental Studies, with a minor in Political Science. Although this class is not needed for my major, I was immediately drawn to it, even though I am by no means an English major.

I have loved baseball, my whole life and have been a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. In my opinion, there is no place quite like Wrigley Field, but I look forward to seeing what all of the other stadiums have to offer.

An action shot at the Field of Dreams