BYU Baseball Stadium Tour

Boys playing on the pitcher's mound

Today our preschool group took a tour of the BYU Baseball Stadium. It was awesome! When I was a freshman in college, we used to climb over the center field fence at midnight and spread a blanket out in the outfield and have picnics and play catch (yes, in the dark, not a bright idea), but I'd never been inside the actual building until today.

First we got to see the equipment and uniform room. They showed us the huge washing machines that wash the uniforms after every game. (How cool is that, the players don't even have to wash their own laundry!) Then we went across the hall and saw the weight room.

The kids were really impressed with the weight room. They tried out all the bikes. Asked questions about the hot and cold tubs, and wanted to hold each different size of medicine ball and try throwing it against the vertical trampoline. (Players use the medicine balls and trampoline to loosen up their shoulders.) After the weight room, we got to take a peek into the coaches' office. On of the kids found a miniature bat, and our tour guide explained that it was the kind of bat players used to practice top-hand or bottom-hand drills. (Basically you bat soft-toss or off of a tee one handed to work your arm strength and to practice having one arm swing through the strike zone.)

Next we went out onto the field. Most of the little boys headed straight to the pitcher's mound. Some ran to second base and then continued out to the center field fence. Adelia enjoyed using the third base-line dirt as a mini sandbox. :)

There were a couple pitchers in the bull-pen throwing to a catcher. So, our tour guide took us over to meet them. They were really nice, and talked with the kids for a bit.

Then we went back inside to the batting cages. This was all three of my older kids' favorite part. Our guide let them take turns hitting balls off of a tee. When everyone had had a turn, he asked the kids to help him gather up the balls, and then told them each the could keep one. My kids were in heaven.

Lastly, we got to check out the clubhouse. Del immediately walked over and sat on the couch with a member of the team and said, "Hi, I'm Adelia. These are my new shoes, see? I'm two. " and continued to chat with him until we left. I guess I've got a little flirt on my hands. At least she's got good taste?

The little boys sat on the smaller couch and talked with the players. Over all I was really impressed with the players. They were patient with the kids, and answered all their questions, and listened to each one of them tell how old they were, and on and on. It was really cute. 

And that was that, the tour was over. Adelia jumped down off the couch and turned around to wave good bye to her new friend at least four times on the way out. Then she said to me, "Mom, those guys like me. They're my friends."  Too funny.