A further thought: This has gone really far afield from the initial topic (which is OK with me). .. Bates is a great school--my oldest visited, and I know a kid who is there. The campus is beautiful as is that area of Maine. Lewiston itself is a big negative to me, but the school tries to make lemonade from that particular lemon by giving students lots of opportunities to work on projects in the community. Bates was founded by abolitionists and has always emphasized social justice causes. Students tend to be very liberal and more than a little quirky. It's not for everyone (my kid decided not to apply), but is one of the best small liberal arts colleges in the country. I don't know a thing about their baseball program.