Navy Night: The Chesapeake Baysox
Jul 31, 2025
While I grew up playing and loving baseball, not everyone is as fond of a game that can be, well… a little slow at times. However, for plebes who have been going through intense training and who have been getting yelled at for 6 straight weeks, a trip to a minor league baseball game is a divine treat.
Near the end of Plebe Summer, the Chesapeake (Bowie) Baysox, a minor league team in Maryland, hosts Navy Night. Navy Night gives the plebes an opportunity to travel 14 miles from the Yard, sit down with a hot dog in hand, and unwind with their friends while watching some baseball and fireworks.
However, probably the most exciting part of this night for many of the plebes is that the plebes will get to wear the iconic Navy Summer Whites uniform for the first time, allowing them to truly feel that Plebe Parents weekend is approaching.
For the days leading up to the game, the plebes will spend the majority of grey space learning how to iron the creases into their uniforms, how to properly place their name tags and ribbon racks, how to properly align their gig line, and how to shine their white shoes. All of this training will culminate in multiple uniform inspections to ensure that the plebes are looking SHARP and ready to go.
The plebes will be bused from the Yard (Naval Academy Campus) to the game in their Summer Whites uniform feeling confident and proud as ever, ready to strut around in their pearly white uniforms. But while wearing the Summer Whites is very exciting, let me tell you this: ketchup and Summer Whites do not go together well.
I remember being a plebe at the baseball game and being so excited to eat some junk food and just enjoy a night of peace. So in the mad rush to the concession stands following the national anthem, I join the chaos to go get a hot dog. After a good 45 minutes of waiting in line, I get my less than average hot dog, put ketchup on it, and start walking to my seat.
But of course, in classic plebe fashion, I get some bad luck and a civilian man stops in front of me, turns around, and knocks my tray of food directly back into the center of my shirt. So a night that I was praying would be detailer free quickly turned into me being the center of attention.
Luckily a bunch of plebes and detailers had Shout wipes on them (Lifesavers… the tide pens don’t work as well, but never let your mid go anywhere in Whites without multiple Shout wipes handy) and I was (mostly) able to get the stains out.
While for many it is the best night of Plebe Summer, the night for me was…well, memorable.
So while the detailers are stressed out moving and keeping track of 1100 people, the baseball game is an amazing night for the plebes. It is the first time in a long time that no one is controlling them, and even a lick of freedom feels amazing.
Often times, however, the plebes enjoy the freedom a little too much and eat way too much junk food. This, combined with the fact that the plebes won’t get back to the Yard until around 11:15 at night (over an hour past their usual bedtime), means PEP the next morning can be pretty rough.
Additionally, I cannot stress enough that the United States Naval Academy is not college. It is an entirely different experience that is accompanied with a unique set of advantages and hardships. So while most of the plebes’ friends are looking forward to their first college fraternity party, the plebes themselves are EXCITED by the freedom to eat a hot dog in peace and to stay up an extra hour.
The baseball game is one of those great experiences that the plebes will always remember.
Hopefully, your plebes are able to keep their ketchup and their Summer Whites away from one another and enjoy themselves fully.
If you have any further questions about the baseball game or about Plebe Summer, please leave me a comment below, email me at [email protected] or send me a message on my Facebook page.
Go Baysox!
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Founder of Academy Insider and Podcast Host Grant Vermeer
Grant Vermeer is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four-year member of the varsity basketball team.
He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.
He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community with nationwide consulting and connection.
Connect with Grant Vermeer, The Academy Insider here:
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