Spring is senior Mackenzie Mance’s favorite time of year. That’s when the baseball hats come out, and the crowds are ready to cheer.

A sport management major and communication studies minor from Walkerton, Ind., Mackenzie adores sports, chiefly baseball, and has used that passion to excel at Manchester. “Growing up as an athlete instilled the love of sports and has made me the person I am today,” Mackenzie says. “I love watching the Spartan baseball team beat Franklin or the football team win the Bronze Ball game over Anderson.”

Mackenzie has combined her love of sports with her career goals. Last summer, she interned with the Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball team, a collegiate summer league team based in Green Bay, Wis. While working with the Bullfrogs, she created a variety of on-field promotions and handled the team’s social media outlets.

During the summer of 2014, she interned for the South Bend Silver Hawks (now the South Bend Cubs) a minor league baseball team. This internship focused on group sales, selling tickets to groups that wanted to do an outing at the field.

“Both internships have taught me that as an intern you have to be willing to do anything that your boss asks you to do,” says Mackenzie. “That’s when you learn the most.”

At Manchester, Mackenzie is a member of the Spartan Sport Management Club, which has recently merged with the College of Business Club. Last year she acted as the event management director for the club, which placed her in charge of planning and executing events for SSMC.

Looking at Mackenzie’s impressive resume, along with playing softball for 15 years, it’s no surprise that her favorite place on campus is a tie between the football field and the baseball field. Her experience at Manchester has validated her love of sports as well as created lifelong friendships.

“I really love the MU community,” she says. “Manchester has provided me with the best people that I could’ve asked for to call my best friends. I will forever be grateful for that.”

By Lauren Hughes’17