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College Senior's Ballpark Tour Stops At CHS Field

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A college student is doing something a lot of us talk about, but never get a chance to do.

Jacob Wallace is a senior at American University in Washington, D.C.  And this summer -- he's visiting 22 cities and 19 ballparks across the country, and he's doing it all by train.

A beautiful night at the ballpark: CHS Field to be exact. And Jacob Wallace has seen plenty of these over the past month.

"Every morning I wake up – 'Where am I?' That's right, I'm in St. Paul today," Wallace said.

Before St. Paul it was Miami, Washington, Toronto, Chicago and many others. It all began May 27, when the Rail Passengers Association decided to sponsor Jacob's 37-day tour.

"As a baseball fan it was the perfect summer job. That's how I got involved," Wallace said. "I met a guy in Jacksonville who told me a community can exist without a baseball team, but a baseball team can't exist without a community."

Jacob has a website that helps his followers keep track of which track he's on. And like a baseball card collector, he even has his own stats.

By the time he's done, he'll have been to 10 minor league games and nine major league games -- all by train travel. Some of the parks are in big cities, others are out in the boonies.

For Jacob, this trip isn't about the destination, it's about the journey.

"It's been amazing. I've really enjoyed the trip. At the month mark today so it's coming to a close soon. So many great experiences I'll carry with me," Wallace said.

This is the last leg of Jacob's journey. From here, he'll take Amtrak to Washington State for a couple games. His last game will be on July 2 -- and then he'll fly home.

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