Eagle Baseball is closing the Fall 2017 semester with a special trip five day trip to the Dominican Republic. Redshirt sophomore catcher
Matt Anderson will share his experiences on the trip in this special journal on GSEagles.com. Fans can still contribute to Eagle Baseball's campaign to raise money for the trip at Give.GSEagles.com/Baseball.
-- Wednesday, November 22 --
It's hard for me to find the words to start this final post…
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You might ask me why, and I might tell you that I wish I had more days to reflect on here in the Dominican Republic. So, let me take you through the final day and some of my final thoughts.
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Waking up for the last time here in the Dominican Republic was a somber feeling. I know that this trip had to come to a close, yet the memories that were made here were ones that each of us will carry with us for the rest of our lives.
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The day started with breakfast and then a devotional about what it really means to play for an "Audience of One". The talent and platform we were given by God to play baseball ultimately led us on this trip, and this allowed us to touch the lives of others but to also have our own lives touched. In saying so, we headed to the field for one final hoorah. Our team walked to the field which was only a block away and set up for the baseball clinic that we ran for the local kids.
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With only an hour slotted for the clinic due to our travel plans, we made the absolute most out of the time we had to spend with them. The clinic consisted of different stations like hitting, outfield, infield, and pitching, and each rotation had kids of all ages whom showed immense passion just to be able to step on the field and enjoy the game. The lingual barriers were challenging throughout the week and even more so being one on one with these kids, but I genuinely believe that even though we were the ones that were to instruct at this clinic, the way the kids expressed their passion and joy for what they were doing spoke more volume than any words ever could.
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As the clinic wrapped up, my heart was heavy, as so many others were as well. Four days ago, I wouldn't have felt the same way, but my eyes and heart had been opened to much bigger things. We knew that this was the end of the trip, and it was hard to walk away from the friends, the smiles, and the many memories that were made in just a short amount of time.
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I know that I can speak for everyone on this trip when I say that we are immensely thankful for the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic. This trip was meant for instruction, to teach, to learn, to give back, to love, to break down cultural and linguistic barriers, to make new friends, to have fun, and to make memories that would forever change our hearts, and it did just that.
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To our coaches, thank you for pushing us to be the best we can be on and off the field. To our parents, thank you for your relentless love and support that you show us. Without you we would not be where we are today. To our friends, thank you for encouraging us to reach new heights and to go outside our comfort zones to experience new things. To all those who helped with this trip financially, thank you, because this would not have been possible without you.
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And to Eagle Nation… Hail Southern.
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It's good to be home.
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In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.
