Go Ms!!! Seattle Mariners Ties & Pride Run Deep at Whitman
What’s the Whitman-Seattle Mariners Connection?
By Margie McDevitt Reece ’93
Teaming up: The Seattle Mariners host Whitman Blues Baseball at T-Mobile Park.
As the Seattle Mariners head into Game 6 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), much of the Whitman College community is passionately rooting them on.
They are our Pacific Northwest team. Our home state team. But the Whitman-Mariners connection goes deeper than that.
Seizing the Moment
As we raise our collective voices to cheer the Mariners on in the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays, we’re also enthusiastically happy to share more about the connection between Whitman and the Mariners organization.
“There are so many reasons that we are grateful to the Mariners, and they bring true excellence to our state. It’s our honor to cheer them on in this special season!
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Whitman President Sarah Bolton
John Stanton ’77, Chairman and majority owner of the Seattle Mariners
1. Major League Ownership: John Stanton ’77
The most significant connection between Whitman and the Seattle Mariners is thanks to John Stanton, a Whitman College alum from the class of 1977. Stanton is the Chairman and majority owner of the Seattle Mariners.
Stanton earned his degree in Economics at Whitman—he stays deeply connected through philanthropy and leadership as a former Whitman College Trustee.
Quick hit fact: Stanton has said it was watching the Walla Walla Padres, a summer league A-team, as a Whitman student in the 1970s that helped engrain his love of baseball. Ticket price: $1.
“The Mariners organization has made so many wonderful things happen for Whitman through extraordinarily generous philanthropy and ongoing leadership—and been part of opening remarkable doors for Whitman students,” says Whitman President Sarah Bolton.
2. A Campus Gem: Stanton Hall
Built in 2018, Stanton Hall is a modern residence hall—named in recognition of John Stanton’s generosity, which continues to shape the Whitman experience. Housing mostly sophomores, residents of Stanton may be found enjoying the quiet of private study rooms, playing ping pong with a view, roasting s’mores by one of two outdoor fire pits or watching the Mariners on the big screen.
Quick hit fact: As John Stanton has sustained major league baseball in Seattle, the Whitman campus building named in his honor is built for sustainability. LEED platinum certified, Stanton Hall features 1.5 solar panels per occupant, electric vehicle charging stations and low-flow water fixtures.
Locker Room in the Edwards-Moore Clubhouse at Borleske Stadium
3. A Sweet Connection: Whitman’s Baseball Clubhouse
Stanton and his wife Terry Gillespie [Parent ’18] were lead donors for the new Edwards-Moore Clubhouse at Borleske Stadium, the home field for Whitman Blues Baseball. The 3,300 square-foot facility features flexible team space, a spacious locker room, a media and recruiting space, and a training room.
“This facility is a continuation of progress Whitman has made over the past twenty years in investing in its athletics program and in the student-athlete experience,” Stanton said at the clubhouse dedication in April 2024.
A Big Day for the Blues. Lead project donor John Stanton ’77 (left) and President Sarah Bolton (right) with Jock Edwards ’66 and Jim Moore ’66, for whom the clubhouse is named at the facility dedication.
Quick hit fact: Borleske Stadium and the Edwards-Moore Clubhouse are also home to the Walla Walla Sweets, a collegiate summer baseball team in the West Coast League (WCL). Since their inaugural 2010 season, the Sweets have often had Whitman student-athletes on their roster. During the 2023 season, Ben Parker ’23 won the WCL batting title as a member of the Sweets.
4. Once in a Lifetime: Big League Experiences
Whitman is known for creating unique and immersive experiences for students. The Mariners organization has contributed to that cause with its support and hospitality. In 2017, the Whitman Blues baseball team made it to the big time—hosting a four-game series at then Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park), training and playing in a major league facility.
Field of dreams: In 2017, Whitman Baseball hosted a four-game series at the home of the Seattle Mariners (Safeco Field).
And it’s not just student-athletes who have gained special access to Major League experiences thanks to the Mariners. For Opening Day in March 2025, Mariners Vice President of Communications and Whitman alum Tim Hevly ’88 made it possible for student journalists from the Whitman Wire to cover the game live, giving them exclusive interviews and inviting them to join professional sports journalists in the reporting spaces at the park.
Quick hit fact: In July 2025, the Mariners hosted a special cause at the ballpark: Strike Out Brain Cancer in honor of Whitman alum and avid Mariners fan, Andrew Reed ’97, raising more than $13,000 for brain cancer research. Reed passed away in January 2024 from an aggressive form of the disease.
5. A Night at the Park: Upward Together at T-Mobile
In November 2023, Stanton and the Mariners organization hosted the Seattle launch of Whitman’s Upward Together campaign at T-Mobile Park, which has become the most successful campaign in college history.
Upward Together: Uplifting Whitman at a special event at T-Mobile Park in November 2023.
Nearly 200 alumni and families crowded the stadium’s First Base Terrace Club for the event, culminating in a conversation President Bolton moderated with Stanton and Seattle entrepreneur and Whitman Trustee Jonathan Sposato ’89.
Quick hit fact: The Mariners have hosted Whitman alumni for other special events. Last spring, Whitties joined President Bolton in Arizona for a Spring Training game—complete with a facility tour at the Peoria Sportsplex led by Mariners’ Tim Hevly ’88. Plans are underway for a Spring Training 2026 alumni trip. Interested? Email alumni@whitman.edu.