Former Monmouth College tennis player Greg Bouslog sure knows when to take a chance.

After graduating from Monmouth in 2007, Bouslog began work on his master’s degree at Western Illinois University while working as a paid graduate assistant in WIU’s sports information office. He needed only an internship to complete the requirements for his degree, and that’s when chance took over.

“I moved to Arizona with my fiancée,” said Bouslog. “It was kind of scary because I didn’t have a job and still needed the internship to finish my coursework at Western.”

Thanks to an internet search, Bouslog came across an internship with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who just happened to be hosting the All-Star game this season. The No. 7 man all-time in singles wins at Monmouth served up a winner with the Diamondbacks, landing the internship which will allow him to finish his degree.

“That was a huge weight off my shoulders,” said Bouslog. “It’s been an experience and very surreal to be in this position. We had to add a press box in the outfield for the All-Star game. I never realized the All-Star game drew THAT much attention.”

Attending Monmouth after a successful tennis career at Princeton High School was also an eye-opening experience.

“Coming from a small program, I never really knew there was such a thing as sports information until I came to Monmouth,” reported Bouslog. “I saw all the work that office did with stats and game reporting and decided that was something I would like to do. I changed to public relations after starting out as a pre-law student and got involved with the college’s radio and TV stations. I loved that experience and decided sports information was what I wanted to continue to do.”

The change in major may have also been a major life-changing event, and he can thank a pair of MC professors for his current position in the big leagues.

“Dr. (Lee) McGaan really encouraged me to write,” praised Bouslog. “He helped me get an internship with the (Galesburg) Register-Mail. That’s when I began to see my writing skills improve. I think that is my strong suit now.

“(Communication professor) Trudi Peterson always made her classes fun,” he continued. “I looked forward to going to her classes every day, just like I look forward to every day at work now.”

Bouslog’s passion for learning has carried over to his current position.

“I’m very passionate about this job,” explained Bouslog. “We spend a couple hours a day before the game compiling stats packs, which we give to the team and scouts reporting on the major and minor league teams. After the games, we update game notes, records and streaks. I’ve always like statistics, so this is a lot of fun for me.”

Bouslog’s internship closed at the end of the Diamondbacks’ season, but he looks ahead to that time as more of a beginning.

“If the Diamondbacks offered me a job after the internship, that would be great,” said Bouslog. “I enjoy working with the athletes and compiling the stats. I definitely want to work in sports information, either with a pro team or for a college.”

While Bouslog didn’t exactly take a direct route to his life’s calling, he did find that Monmouth helped him discover the right path.