Midd Sports Fanatics to Visit All 30 MLB Stadiums in 38 Days

(From left) Thompson, Hatheway, Witek, and Hetzel at AT&T Park in San Fransisco.

Four Middlebury students have taken sports fandom and college road trips to a new extreme. Damon Hathaway ’13.5, Craig Thompson ’13.5, Owen Witek ’13, and Jeff Hetzel ’14 are in the midst of a 38-day-long journey during which they will attend baseball games at all 30 Major League stadiums.

So far, they’ve traveled nearly ten thousand miles visiting 22 ballparks, but eight games and hundreds of more miles remain before class starts next week. They have been blogging along the way, not only about what happens during the games they watch, but also on stories and observations about what baseball means to people throughout the country.

The group made a name for themselves in the Panther sports community by following the Men’s basketball team as far as Virginia during their run to the NCAA Final Four in 2011, skipping class to do so.

“Traveling to Middlebury basketball games made us realize how much we loved road trips that revolve around sports, and once we realized this trip – one that we have all dreamt about for years – was possible, we did everything we could to make it a reality,” said Thompson in an email.

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In other baseball news, Middlebury student Michael Joseph ’13, a pitcher for the Panthers, has signed on with the Baltimore Orioles organization. He announced he still plans to finish his Middlebury education during the off-season while pursuing a professional baseball career.