My first visit to Santa Clara University was almost two years ago on a baseball-recruiting trip. Little did I know that my first visit would also set the stage for my first archival research paper. As I was touring the campus with the baseball coaches, they took me through the university’s campus, where we toured Santa Clara’s iconic buildings and walkways. I can still picture our walk through the campus as though it was yesterday. So many of the buildings and landmarks stood out in my mind. The combination and balance between historic and contemporary, was evident as I spent time viewing the Mission Church and the Leavey Event Center. The architectural layout and design of the campus stands among some of the finest colleges and universities nationwide. The final step in our journey through the campus was to visit the Stephen Schott Stadium and the baseball 
player’s clubhouse. Deciding where I was going to attend college was an important decision, so I brought a notebook and pen so that I could take notes. Santa Clara was one of several colleges that I was considering attending and I wanted to make sure that I remembered as much as possible about my visit. As the coaches took me through the entry gates of the stadium I was overwhelmed with the grandeur of such a beautiful baseball stadium. Growing up in a small community of about thirty-five thousand people, we had just one high school with a baseball field that resembled the practice field for the bad-news-bears. To say the least, it was not a state-of-the-art facility. Matter of fact, our players clubhouse was an old beat-up trailer that sat off to the side of right field. The point of all this is that Stephen Schott stadium is more than just a stadium it’s a symbol of the hard working, dedicated and selfless people of Santa Clara who have created an image of excellence in whatever they do.
