Loyola’s baseball team took on the previously number one ranked Lee University on March 26. If you haven’t heard of Lee, don’t feel bad. They’re a small liberal arts college in Cleveland, Tenn. In most cases, I would make fun of a small town of 41,285 residents that stole the name of a bigger, better-known city in Ohio, whose economy used to be based on Lebron James, but I can’t bring myself to do it. That’s because despite the small-town atmosphere that some might consider boring, Lee University has 17 out-of-state baseball players on their roster, while Loyola only has three.
The home game against Lee University had a somewhat depressing atmosphere surrounding it. Not that I hadn’t always been depressed while looking out to the left-field score board, which seemed to me to always show the Wolfpack trailing in the contest. Then I became more disappointed that I couldn’t remember the last time a Loyola student had made the trip out to Segnette Field without the aid of a school bus and the incentive of a fire work show… but this day felt a little different.
For the game the night before, Loyola put a $5 ticket on sale that would allow students free concessions and transportation to and from campus. In a move that I assumed was made to give fans something to look forward to in the event of a loss, fireworks would be shot from behind the center field wall following the game.
Though the ‘Pack would lose this game 7-3 in front of what was easily their largest crowd of the season, I hoped there would be more fans in the cob webbed-covered seats that day. It appeared that fan loyalty was only for those who had family members on the field.
Allowing runners to get on base and give up home runs is not a good way to keep teams scoreless. Part of it is that Lee has more scholarship money available for their baseball program. And I’m sure it was a draw to their potential players that they didn’t have to cross a narrow bridge named after a former Louisiana governor just to get to the field.
However, I don’t think it’s just the fact that Segnette Field is on the West Bank, or the fact that the program has limited scholarships available, or even the fact Loyola baseball hasn’t won a conference since 2002. It’s all of it. Baseball takes a back seat to basketball in terms of fan interest, and sports in general take a back seat to whoever can create the most interesting looking flyer for their senior recital.
If famed dirty dancer and Golden Globe-winning actor Patrick Swayze was still with us, he would insist that no one should put baseball in the corner. Loyola may not be able to do anything about the awkward location of their field, but Loyola should find a way to invest more scholarship money in their baseball program. Maybe they can build that winning tradition and make New Orleans a more popular college baseball destination. I would be enticed by Loyola’s location alone. I mean what’s cooler than Mardi Gras?
Hasani Grayson covered the baseball team for The Maroon.
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