From the Editor: My Center Field Story

Editor’s Note: This is an op-ed written by editor-in-chief Ben Leeds; any thoughts or opinions expressed are his own.

I never planned on being a writer.

I entered and now exit Marist as a communication major with concentrations in sports communication and public relations – journalism is nowhere to be seen on my degree.

Maybe I should have seen it coming. My father, an avid memorabilia collector, lined the basement walls of my house in Connecticut with autographed Sports Illustrated magazines long before I was born.

It was in that basement that I fell in love with sports, sitting on the couch, watching my favorite teams play, a few feet from my dad in his reclining chair. I looked at the magazines on the wall and one day imagined myself gracing the cover as an athlete, never as the byline.

I arrived at Marist with this passion for sports, but unsure what I wanted to do with it. The college experience was not what I had hoped it would be in my first semester; I struggled to make friends and did not feel like myself at Marist, often counting the days until I could go home next.

Early on in the spring semester, I was a mess. I debated transferring or taking a gap year to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it. In the meantime, I decided to go to a Center Field meeting on a whim, hoping to get more involved in the communications field and meet people with similar interests to me, truly not expecting much of it.

This ended up being the best decision I made during my time at Marist, completely altering not just my college experience, but ultimately the rest of my life.

I shadowed Issy Cicinelli at a women’s lacrosse game and wrote a mock gamer. The editorial board, mainly comprised of seniors, liked it. With a lot of roles to fill in the ensuing fall, Dan Aulbach and Luke Sassa took a chance on me, offering me a spot on the board before I had a byline on the website.

When I walked into my first editor’s meeting in August of 2023, I was intimidated; as one of two underclassmen on the board, I had massive imposter syndrome. The other underclassman, Cara Lacey, went on to be the greatest ally I could ever ask for. 

We found our footing at the same time and quickly blossomed as the future of Center Field. Later on in that semester, Dan and Luke started mentioning the fact that I was next in line to run the publication. Even then, I knew I would not be able to do it without Cara – I was right.

I don’t know how Cara has put up with me this past year, or throughout our entire time in Center Field. So many times, I turned to her for help, whether it be work-related issues or personal struggles. Each and every time, no matter the circumstance, she was there for me, with no questions asked. 

Being the managing editor is, at times, a thankless job; I don’t know if I could ever thank her enough for her work and her friendship.

It was a truly exceptional group we had in LT 141 during my sophomore year. Luke and Dan were phenomenal leaders of our club (I will forever be proud to say that c-word), and so influential on me as a developing writer and adult. The other editors, Marley Pope, Aidan Lavin, Jimmy Tsiantoulas, Danny Destler and Sam Murphy, made that year special; I’ve never been on a team that has felt as connected as that one. 

As that group became closer and closer with each passing week, I knew Center Field was home for me. And more importantly, I knew Marist, and all that it had to offer, was where I was supposed to be.

The club still feels that close-knit connection to this day; that has been a conscious effort by Cara and me. We want club members to not just love the club, but love the people involved (Exhibit A: Every Spormal).

In my time at Center Field, I’m so proud of the connections forged between our publication and the Marist Circle – we really are the New York Times and The Athletic of Poughkeepsie. Believe it or not, the two publications used to be more competitive than friendly; the positive changes’ origins all lead back to Sam Murphy.

As the editor-in-chief of The Circle and an assistant editor for Center Field, Sam approached me with the idea of joining The Circle’s staff as a co-editor of the campus news section near the end of the fall semester in my sophomore year. 

There, I worked with Ava Battinelli, who became one of the most important influences on me and my career in journalism due to our relatability in our positions and goals. We grew from writers to leaders together, with Ava going on to become editor-in-chief of The Circle, while I did the same at Center Field. 

It was immensely valuable to have someone like Ava to lean on when things got tough, whether that be journalistic guidance or general life advice. As we graduate and leave Marist behind, we both have similar career aspirations. I know she’s destined for greatness wherever the field takes her; I’m so glad our paths crossed here at Marist, and I hope they do one day again in a professional newsroom.

Though originally hesitant, I’m so glad that I said yes to Sam and joined The Circle. I learned so much as a writer, and got one of my closest friends out of it.

I’d be remiss to not mention the wonderful opportunities this club and the department as a whole have given me to travel, and have real, hardcore journalistic opportunities to cover college sports on a professional level.

I racked up datelines in Atlantic City for the MAAC Basketball Tournaments, around the MAAC as I traveled with the volleyball team to Jersey City, Lawrenceville, the Bronx, New Rochelle, Loudonville, Fairfield and even out of conference in Storrs, Queens and lovely Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Then, of course, the trip to San Francisco for Super Bowl LX Media Week.

These off-campus opportunities, on a smaller scale, have provided me with some semblance of what I hope to do professionally one day – travel the country to cover sports.

The growth of this publication has been uber-inspiring to me; when I joined, hardly any stories even had graphics made for them. If they were, they were likely done on Canva. Our multimedia team is stellar, and the quality of the content of our stories has risen exponentially alongside the visual aesthetics.

Emotionally, leaving Center Field behind is a lot to process. I loved being a part of it as it grew from a plucky, overlooked student-run publication into a club in which students come to Marist to join. I have zero doubt that this will continue; with Max Rosen at the helm next year, Center Field is in great hands. And of course, Leander Schaerlaecken’s dry humor and calming guidance as our faculty advisor will never go underappreciated.

As I look back on my time in this club, it’s hard not to get caught up in the numbers. We spend a lot of our college experience writing, editing or discussing Marist sports. While our journalistic work is obviously at the forefront of importance, the social aspect of Center Field can not go unmentioned.

Those relationships fostered through the club are what I hope to be remembered by, not the sheer number of gamers or feature stories I authored, seemingly endless comedic videos pointing fun at me or even the book I am writing about my season behind the scenes with the volleyball team.

I hope to be remembered more for those connections, especially the seemingly meaningless conversations in The Center that helped younger members feel that they belonged, because I know how important those were to me when I was in their shoes.

That is the greatest thing Center Field has to offer. I have friends from the Class of 2023 and the Class of 2029 and every year in between, building a community that allowed me to be authentically myself, which felt impossible when I first got to Marist.

In a sense, Center Field saved my entire Marist experience. Just as important as the bonds forged with Center Fielders, I would not have the lifelong relationships and memories I made with friends and incredible people here outside of the club had I followed through with leaving Marist after my freshman year.

Essentially, I owe my Marist experience that I hold so dearly to my heart to the community created by Center Field that welcomed me with open arms, allowing me to be confident in myself once again.

It’s so hard to think about what I will do without this club, and its incredible people that make it so special. But, here’s one thing I do know – it’s stuck with me the last few years, and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life: 

When the clock strikes 11 on a Wednesday morning, where else would you rather be?

– Ben Leeds

“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”