Baseball is more than just a game.  To not only myself, but Nicaraguans as well, baseball is life.  Through our first three games here in Nicaragua I have been taken aback by how much a simple game with a bat and ball can impact entire communities at a time.  Once stepping on the field littered … Keep reading »

Sunday, May 22 By Chandler Ingle Three Goshen College pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter as the Leafs cruised by a local team from Santa Teresa 7-0 this past Sunday. Starting pitcher, James Stricker did his part by tossing four innings of no-hit ball. Stricker got off to a quick start by striking out the first … Keep reading »

Saturday, May 21, 2016 By Chandler Ingle   The Goshen College baseball team used dominate pitching and 12 hit batsmen to defeat both San Marcos and La Conquista in their second and third contests in Nicaragua. The first game of the twinbill resulted in a tough 4-3 win powered by starting pitcher, Travis Grimm. Grimm … Keep reading »

Friday, May 20, 2016 Yesterday the students had a lecture on Nicaraguan history by Aynn Setright, a 30-year resident of Nicaragua and the director of the School for International Training in the country.  Beforehand the students had prepared a list of questions for her.  Although the lecture lasted two hours, students were captivated by the … Keep reading »

Wednesday, May 18 By Chandler Ingle Goshen takes game 1 in Nicaragua. In Goshen’s first of six games on their three week stint in Nicaragua, the Leafs struggled offensively but used a combination of stellar pitching performances and defense to defeat Los Cafeteros Carazo 3-1 at the Estadio Municipial Pedro Selva in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. Los … Keep reading »

Tuesday, May 17 While the students were in Spanish classes, Maria took Alex and Jackson to interviews at local TV and radio stations.  This was deemed so important by Coach Alex that he shaved his beard and mustache beforehand.  Now he just needs to wait for the job offers to come in from ESPN. After … Keep reading »

Today was the first semi-routine day.  On the days that the guys don’t have games or day-long field trips, they will have two 1.5-hour sessions of Spanish classes, lunch together, followed by some time for planning of activities or group processing.   Around 2:00 they will have a lecture or a short field trip, before they … Keep reading »

After breakfast everyone prepared to leave the retreat center for the ride up ‘the big hill’ to Jinotepe, to Casa Goshen Schirch, the house of Maria and Doug in Nicaragua.   For about 30 minutes the bus wound up the road into the mountains south of Managua, and then it was mostly a level ride for … Keep reading »

We woke up to the sounds of unfamiliar birds that started singing before the sun came up (which is at 5:20 here).  Breakfast at 8:00 included tortillas, scrambled eggs, beans, and fresh orange juice.  Following breakfast we had a group “check in” for everyone to share their first impressions since arriving in the country.  Some noted the … Keep reading »

The whole group arrived in Nicaragua right on schedule.  An hour after landing they were on the chartered bus for a half-hour ride through the center of Managua to the retreat center, Centro Kairos, where supper was waiting for us.  The main dish was, of course, rice and beans, served with a type of Nicaraguan … Keep reading »