The University of Illinois Springfield is offering a course focused on America's pastime: baseball.
Several UIS baseball players are enrolled this semester in Baseball: An Interdisciplinary Approach.
The class teaches baseball through economics, history, politics, technology and culture.
"I said, 'Absolutely. Sign me up," explained UIS senior outfielder Trey Hannam. "We started off in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It really wasn't even baseball yet. Foul balls were hits back then, so it's really crazy to think about that. They even had an African-American playing back then in the 1800s."
The course counts for four credit hours.
"We've talked about Babe Ruth and the Black Sox Scandal," Muench said. "Then it keeps going and makes it way up to modern day."
Sophomore catcher John Sechen is enjoying the historical perspective.
"It is fascinating how the game of baseball has changed," he said. "If you look at the ball and what it used to be, it was nothing with laces. It looked kind of like a cricket ball. It didn't have any seams."
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on February 25, 2017.
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