September 5, 2013
While many Hamilton students pursue internships in finance or politics during their summer vacations, others choose to follow their passion into the world of sports. Sophomore Katie White spent her summer interning for the Cape Cod Baseball League in Massachusetts.
The Cape League is known as one of the premier leagues for collegiate baseball players in the country. Founded in 1885, the league claims one-in-seven current Major League players among its alumni. Some of the recent alums include Jacoby Ellsbury, Nomar Garciaparra and Mark Teixeira. The league provides an opportunity for collegiate players from across the country to move into a host family’s house on the Cape and stay through mid-August. They play a total of 44 games during the summer, often in front of various Major League scouts. This is the first chance for many of these college players to use a wooden bat, and it provides them with the opportunity to play an MLB-like schedule, with games almost every night.
Growing up in Falmouth, MA, White has spent her summers watching her local Cape League franchise, the Falmouth Commodores. Starting about five summers ago, she and her family began hosting players at their house for the summer. That gave her the chance to get to know the players she had watched as a kid on a more personal level. This connection led her to seek out an internship with the League this summer.
As an intern for the Commodores, she spent her summer working as a scouting liaison for Major League Baseball. This unique opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes aspects of a working baseball organization gave her a new perspective on the league she grew up watching. Interning with the Commodores, White worked one-on-one with scouts from various Major League teams and was able to learn more about the scouting process. A part of this included insuring that the scouts had the most updated player statistics and information during the games. Aside from her specific jobs during the games, she was responsible for managing the teams Twitter account. She tweeted various bits of information from the game conditions to the starting pitchers, or whatever else the Commodores’ manager wanted.
Although unsure of where she wants to go in life, White is certain that this was a valuable internship. “Although I am not entirely sure what I would like to do, I know that I want to be involved in sports,” she reflected thinking back on her summer. Working with Hamilton’s athletics broadcasting both men’s and women’s hockey in the winter has made her think of possibly pursuing a future in sports broadcasting.
Looking to the future, White says, “I know that the more experience I have with internships in sports these next few years, the more I will be able to narrow down my career goals.” No matter what field she might play on, or work in, White has set herself up for success.
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