June 19, 2009

Today, we head to New Bedford, Massachusetts to hear from junior RHP Alex Kalogrides as he blogs from the New Bedord Bay Sox of the New England Collegiate League. Check back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a new player blog through the end of July.

Alex Kalogrides

Hello everyone. My name is Alex Kalogrides and I am going to be a senior next semester at USF. This is the third summer that I have traveled to another part of the country to compete in a summer collegiate baseball league. After my freshman year, I went out to Harrisonburg, Virginia for the first half of my summer, and ended up in Yuba City, CA for the second half. Last summer I played on a team in Brainerd, Minnesota in the Northwoods league and we traveled all around the Midwest. This summer I was all set to play in the Cape Cod league but my plans fell through two days before leaving the Bay Area. After a few quick phone calls by Coach Moore, I landed a spot on the New Bedford Bay Sox of the New England Collegiate League. I was thrilled that the team needed another pitcher because I did not have to cancel my plane ticket out to New England since the town of New Bedford is only 20 minutes from the Cape. Also, fellow USF pitcher Doug Murray is on the New Bedford team which makes things out here much more enjoyable.

New Bedford, Massachusetts is a small town that used to be a large part of the whaling industry. The town has just about everything I need within walking or running distance. There are places to eat, a gym, a grocery store, and even a mall all within a short walk. There even is a beach that is only a couple miles away, but the weather hasn't been great out here so far.

I live with a host family about one mile away from our field. My host parents or perhaps I should call them my host brother and sister (they are only about six or seven years older than me) are Jason and April. They have been very kind to me, providing me with a nice large bedroom and plenty of video games to keep me occupied. They also have taken me out to show me around New Bedford and its surrounding areas. On one of our off days they are going to take me up to Boston which is about forty-five minutes away to spend the day there. They are very kind people and I really appreciate their hospitality.

The baseball part of it has been rather slow thus far. Our schedule is quite spread out as we have sixteen off days throughout the summer. We also have had a few games that have been rained out. Last summer I only had about five days off for the whole time I was out there so there is a lot more down time out here which I am not really used to. The New England Collegiate League is sponsored in part by Major League Baseball and our team is sponsored by Under Armour so we have a lot of nice gear. Our team is off to a slow start, but we have a lot of talent. We are currently 3-5. The places where we have played have ranged from high school fields with bleachers, to nice stadiums full of chair back seats, to old time parks where Babe Ruth once played with both dugouts on the first base line. It has been quite interesting to travel around the different states within New England and see all the different areas.

Summer ball is always a great experience no matter where you go. Every summer I meet many terrific people that I still keep in touch with today and I am sure this summer will be no different.

Thank you all for reading. Go Dons!