Morgan Earls might have the best summer job ever.

The recent Waynflete graduate is in her third year as a bat kid for the Portland Sea Dogs. Earls, 18, lives in Portland and plans to attend Roger Williams University in Rhode Island this fall to play lacrosse and study marine biology.

She stepped up to the plate to answer five questions about the gig, although she could not pick a favorite minor league mascot other than her own. (“I can’t betray Slugger like that. He’s gonna be my favorite always.”) This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What do you do as a bat kid?

Before games, I bring out a bunch of stuff from the clubhouse to the dugout, trays full of gum and sunflower seeds, and help bring out gear like the on-deck bat, which players use to warm up before they go up to the plate. During games, I sit in the dugout, and I’m in uniform with my helmet, which is fun because it makes me feel like I’m part of the team. I bring out balls to the umpire once he gets low because of foul balls and home runs. After a player hits, I’ll retrieve their bat and bring it back to the dugout. I just sit and watch baseball in between all of those outings, which is great because I love watching baseball.

It was cool, my first summer, to get the background knowledge in what you don’t see. The timing, the hand gestures the umps use to signal when it’s OK for me to step out of the dugout and retrieve the balls or bring out the balls. As a fan, you’re not really concerned about what the bat kids are doing.

My first year, I pretty much tried to be out of the way and silent. It was intimidating. I was freshly 15 at that time, and I didn’t know much about baseball from a coaching and playing perspective. I was like, don’t talk unless you’re talked to and make sure you’re not in anyone’s way. But it was cool because that year I got to silently observe and listen in to the conversations that coaches have with players and all the relationships that people have with each other. It’s very positive, and it’s cool to see what motivates different people. And as the years have gone by, I’ve gotten more confident and have been able to talk with the coaches jokingly, and players on occasion when time allows for it. It’s nice being able to have a little bit more confidence instead of being a little bit terrified.

Do you have a favorite memory of a Sea Dogs game that you have worked?

Last year, the “Field of Dreams” game is just a classic memory for me. I actually got to participate and walk through the cornfields and wear the same uniform, and it was super surreal. Everyone was all giddy standing behind the corn and waiting for the signal to go out. It was really cool for me because it was very unifying.

You play sports such as soccer and lacrosse. Is there anything as an athlete that you have learned just from watching the players and the coaches and observing the game at that close level?

When I was a sophomore in high school, I tore my ACL, and that was tough. But I related to a lot of the guys on the team who were dealing with injuries and having to sit and watch and cheer. I learned how hard that is because an ACL is a long recovery, and some of these guys are going through rehabilitation periods.

During my time there, I’ve noticed similarities with how people cope with injuries, and it’s comforting to see how everyone kind of goes through similar emotions.

If you played baseball, what position would you want to play?

Oh, man. I’ve actually talked to my mom about this because I’ve been curious about it myself. My mom says she thinks I’d be a good catcher. But I would want to be an outfielder because I like to run, and the thought of being able to dive for the ball seems really heroic and cool. But realistically, catcher would be where I ended up. (My mom) thinks I’d be good at communicating and calling pitches and getting on top of the ball if it was bobbled or catching a foul ball back. And she has something to say about my throwing abilities, which I think is understandable. I’m better at throwing with a lacrosse stick than I am my arm, and I’ll stick to that.

Is there anything else you really love about the job?

I honestly feel like being a female in the baseball industry isn’t very common. Though I’m only a bat kid, for days when kids run the bases, I’ve met these adorable little girls who have come up and given me a hug and asked for my autograph. That felt really special to me.

Representation in the sport is so important because it’s not really a thing right now, and being able to wear a Sea Dogs uniform as a female, even though I’m not playing, is super cool because that shows little girls that there are opportunities in baseball for women, whether that be a bat kid or a coach or something.

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