Field trip to Rainiers baseball game a home run with Summer Late Nights students

The sun was out and temperatures were pushing 80 when a small fleet of busses pulled into the parking lot of Cheney Stadium in late August. The return to class and comforting grey skies of fall were right around the corner, but it was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. This night was all about baseball. 

More than 300 middle and high school students participating in the Summer Late Nights program were bussed in from locations across the city to watch the Tacoma Rainiers take on the Sugarland Space Cowboys. The excitement was palpable as they lined up, tickets in hand, at the left field gate. Laughter, greetings and snatches of inside jokes and slang that defy translation flew back and forth. 

Kaelen Seymour, 7th Grade, attended Summer Late Nights at Stewart Middle School

“I’m really glad I get to come here tonight,” said Kaelen Seymour, now a seventh grader at Stewart Middle School. “I love baseball. It’s something I really enjoy.” 

Seymour was one of a handful, chosen by raffle, to join a VIP tour before the start of the game. 

“I’m curious to see how this is all put together and what the staff have to do to keep everything running smoothly,” he said. 

This was Seymour’s second year attending the Summer Late Nights program where his favorite activities included playing soccer and participating in the LEGO activities led by community partner Bricks 4 Kidz. 

“I probably wouldn’t be doing much if I wasn’t going to Late Nights,” he said with a shrug. “I like being able to connect with my friends over the summer and go on trips like this.” 

Marshall Hicks, who started ninth grade this fall, shares the sentiment. This was his first year participating in Summer Late Nights and he said he wasn’t sure what to expect. 

“It’s so much fun,” he said. “There’s a lot of cool things you can do there. It’s a good time.” 

After the VIP tour, which included a walk through the tunnel players take from the locker room to the dugout and photos on the field, there are a few minutes of downtime before the ceremonial first pitch. The pitcher will be Ky’ra Norman who attended Summer Late Nights at Al Davies. For someone who says she’s never even watched a baseball game before, this is one heck of an introduction. 

Ky’ra Norman, 7th Grade, threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game. She attended Summer Late Nights at Al Davies Boys & Girls Club

“I don’t play baseball, but I do play volleyball,” Norman explained. “I’m really excited and grateful and I’m just hoping I throw good.” 

She throws a perfect pitch, of course, landing neatly in the catcher’s mitt without a wobble or a second thought. The rest of us wish we could be that cool. 

Norman started seventh grade this fall but said that Summer Late Nights was the perfect place to hang out with her friends, make new ones and try a new craft or activity.  

“There’s always a new activity person coming around,” she said. “I got to try leathermaking!”  

Once everyone has made their way to their seats along the third base line, it’s clear that Summer Late Nights is in the house. Three home runs by the Rainiers in the second inning have everyone stomping and cheering, and a foul ball tossed into the stands quickly becomes the catcher’s most prized possession and object of envy to surrounding friends.  

By the sixth inning the sun has gone down and Summer Late Nights staff hand out light-up foam batons which are immediately used by the students in friendly mock battle. When a stadium camera crew ventures over to highlight the students during the seventh inning stretch, the excitement reaches fever pitch and stays there until the last play.  

The final score of the evening is 8-2 Rainiers, and no Friday game at Cheney Stadium is complete without fireworks. It’s a picture-perfect way to end to a successful field trip, the first of hopefully many more to come.  

About Summer Late Nights 

Summer Late Nights began in June 2023 to help disrupt a rise in teen violence in Tacoma. Middle and High school students can attend free of charge Monday through Friday during the summer months at 12 different locations offering dinner and activities from 5-10 p.m. The program is supported by community partners including Parks Tacoma, Tacoma Public Schools, Foundation for Tacoma Students, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, Greentrike, YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap County, City of Tacoma and Pierce County.