Zack Hample is a Guilford alumnus and a self-diagnosed “baseball freak.” He has a massive collection of nearly 3,000 baseballs that he snagged at major league baseball games, a hobby that paved the way for a book that was published while he was a student at Guilford, and later, for a book that recently became the number one sports book on Amazon.com. This is an interview with Zack about life in and after college and his vigorous appetite for balls.Q: What year did you graduate from Guilford, and what was your major? Was your baseball craze well known throughout the Guilford community?

A: I graduated in December of 2000 thanks to being on the four-and-a- half-year plan. I majored in English and had a concentration in sport studies, and yeah, everyone knew I was a baseball freak.

Q: Your first book, “How to Snag Major League Baseballs,” was written while you were at Guilford and was published in 1999. Did Guilford have a major influence on this book, and did this book have a major influence on your experience here? What is the best tip you have (one that we might use at the baseball/softball games here)?

A: I wrote the book before I declared my major, so the best thing Guilford did for me early on was give me a chance to write seriously about baseball – in the form of a weekly column in The Guilfordian. Having the book published while attending such a small school basically meant that everyone knew me. It was awesome. I wanted to know everyone. Not only did I live on campus throughout my time at Guilford, but I was a CHAOS leader every year so that I could get to school early and meet each incoming class.

My best tip for snagging at Guilford is to hang out on the top of the hill behind the backstop and wait for a foul ball to come shooting back. Then, when you get one, run like hell because you’re not supposed to keep it.

Q: How did college help you to be a better ball snagger and write about it?

A: In high school, I got dissed all the time for collecting baseballs, but at Guilford, where people are more mature and creative and open-minded, no one really thought much of it. It gave me some extra confidence to keep doing my thing. Also, for the record, I’d like to point out that I learned more about writing from Jeff Jeske than from anyone else, anywhere, ever.

Q: How old were you when you snagged your first ball? How many do you have now (and is this a record)? Which ball is your favorite, and how do you tell them all apart?

A: I was 12 when it all started, and I currently have 2,973 balls. I’m not sure if that’s a record. There are a few guys who’ve caught more balls than that, but they count balls from the minor leagues and spring training in their collection. I don’t count those balls in mine. Therefore, I can only say that it’s a possibility that I have the record for balls at major league games. My favorite ball is Barry Bonds’ 724th career homer, which I caught last year in San Diego. After I snagged my 2,000th ball, I started writing down the numbers on each ball and keeping a separate log with the details.

Q: Your second book, “Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks,” came out in March and is the second best-selling baseball book on Amazon.com. What can you tell us about it?

A: Hey, don’t short-change me! It was recently the number one sports book on Amazon. But anyway, the idea behind it is that it’s written for every level of fan in a way that’s both fun and informative. Even my friends, who think baseball sucks, have been telling me how much they’re enjoying the book.

Q: The baseball season only runs for a few months out of the year. How do you occupy yourself in the colder months when there are no balls to snag?

A: I work at my family’s book store. I run a writing group. I obsess over my music collection. I sleep more. I exercise. I socialize. And I engage in other pursuits which are not suitable for print.

Q: What advice do you have for Guilford students who have a geekish fetish or hobby (there are many such students here), but just don’t know how to turn it into a fruitful product or career?

A: Do what you love and think about the bigger picture. There’s a market for just about anything, so if you’re passionate about something and establish some level of expertise, there’s a decent chance you’ll find people who will pay you to keep doing it in some form or another.

Q: You’ve become a kind of celebrity around certain parks. Has being known as “the baseball book guy” ever gotten you into trouble, or has it made snagging balls harder?

A: It’s much harder to collect balls now that my hobby has gotten all this attention. When ushers and security guards spot me, they often go out of their way to prevent me from getting balls, and when the players recognize me, they’re more likely not to toss anything my way. Last year, however, I had a cool experience with Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez. He spotted me during batting practice at Shea Stadium, then made fun of me (in a good-natured way), and then tossed me a ball. I’ve gotten to play catch from the stands with several players, but I usually just avoid the guys who know me.

Q: What is the best story you have, either in the parks collecting balls or dealing with the publicity from your books?

A: As far as publicity, the craziest it got was when People magazine covered my collection. The photographer took over 1,000 pics of me within a 24-hour span, starting with a family breakfast during which he directed our every move. He told my mom when to pour the orange juice. He told me when to drink it. He told my dad when to take a bite of his eggs. He told my girlfriend when to smile. Because of bad timing later that day, I had to do a live phone interview with a radio station while buried under 860 baseballs in a bathtub with leaky faucets, and the photographer never stopped shooting.