Not far from the warm, friendly confines of the baseball diamond exists a parallel universe.

It is a shadowy realm, closed off from the rest of the world by three walls and decades of tradition. It is a place where the unspoken nuances of the game are passed down from one generation to the next. Where the ultimate goal is to escape to the sunlight of the field forever, but the worst punishment is to be banished for a few minutes. Where you’re just as likely to hear the latest gossip as you are a razzing cheer or a strategy talk.

It is a world ruled by seeders, spies, fetchers and benchwarmers. The actions of these young men can make or break a team’s season, even if they rarely see more than a few innings of action each year.

Welcome to The Dugout.

&#8220The dugout is just like a sacred thing,” St. Aloysius coach Clint Wilkerson said. &#8220The dugout is closed in, so it’s so much more secretive than other sports. What goes on in the dugout, nobody knows about except coaches and teammates.”