LOOK WHO’S TALKING

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

“I’ve definitely given out a few high fives.”

BRYCE loeger’28 Baseball pitcher and football ball boy

How did you get the role?

It’s a tradition that freshmen baseball players are the ball boys. If we want to do it, we just tell our head coach we’re in. All eight of the players in my class do it.

What do you do?

We’re given an orange bag of 12 balls, and we divvy up the balls. Each team has six balls, and we throw a new one in when the ref requests it. We also track the ball on a field goal or extra point.

Do you have to grab balls from kids?

It happens a lot more than you think. They tuck it under their shirt, throw it off the back of the bleachers, and you gotta go track it down. You might have to ruin a kid’s day a little bit.

Are you a big football fan?

I am. But we have a ball boy from Canada and another who doesn’t watch football. They’ve learned what’s going on.

How do you know what you’re doing?

We show up an hour early, grab our stuff, and the officials give us the rundown. The first time was a bit of a shock. I didn’t want to mess something up. We’re on TV.

What does the other team think of you? I’ve only been on the home side, but I’ve heard that there’s definitely some chirping that goes on between the players and ball boys. We’re told not to say anything and stay out of it, but there have been some tense moments. They see us wearing green polos and know who we are.

Top moment from the season?

Whenever there’s a big moment, strength coach Spencer Brown starts a chant where they repeat “juice, juice, juice” over and over again. Standing in front of that—hearing everyone to the left, right, and behind me chanting that—is a cool moment.

Are you closer to the football team now? I’m a face now known. Every time Coach Brown sees me in the weight room, he’ll come up and say hi. Being a ball boy is a cool way to make connections.

Will Dehmel ’26

BY THE NUMBERS

SPORTS

8

Wins by football team this season to capture a share of the Ivy League title

22

Total Ivy championships earned by the football team

Volleyball players who received All-Ivy honors: Kauany Gutz ’26 and Piper Stevens’25

82

Point differential in men’s basketball victory over Vermont State University-

Lyndon to start the season

Losses by women’s rugby team, which dropped the NIRA title game to Harvard

13

National ranking of men’s hockey team as of early December

Rank of pickleball among the most popular intramural sports on campus in the past year, behind ice hockey

563

Student players in recent Dartmouth pickleball leagues and tournaments