Fans were lining up at the doors of Taylor Performing Art Center as early as 8 a.m. to meet the St. Louis Cardinals baseball players traveling into town on Jan.18. Doors opened at 11 a.m. and bodies filled the auditorium with baseballs, photos and memorabilia ready to be autographed.

Fans waited patiently as current Cardinals players Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller, alumni players Danny Cox and Tom Lawless and Emcee Mike Claiborne spoke with the media — not just media from the Joplin area, but media from the Communication Department at Missouri Southern as well.

Students got the chance to interact with the professionals and interview members of the Cardinals Caravan.

“It was a great opportunity to get to interview the players, old and new,” said Raymond Ferguson, senior mass communication student. “Being a sports fan and Cardinals supporter, you tend to put the athletes and public figures on a pedestal. The one thing I reminded myself of during the preparation of the interview, and realized during, is that they are just everyday guys like you and me.”

Ferguson got to interview Joe Kelly, the Cardinals pitcher with a 3.08 ERA over the last two seasons (2012-’13).

“We have so many fans that travel with us on the road,” said Kelly. “They’re everywhere. It is pretty awesome to see how big Cardinal Nation is throughout the whole entire country.”

After the media interviews, members of the Cardinals Caravan went from in front of the camera to on stage, in front of hundreds of Cardinal Nation fans waiting in Taylor Auditorium for the Q&A portion of the program.

Fans got to ask questions about specific games, pregame routines and off-season hobbies.

After the Q&A, young fans were able to get autographs and meet the players, alumni and Claiborne. Over 500 fans walked across the stage for their chance to interact with the men they usually see through a TV screen.

This was the sixth Cardinals Caravan hosted on the campus of Southern, and the team plans to come back next year.

“It gives us [alumni players] a chance to connect with the young kids [current Cardinals players],” Lawless said. “We watch them on TV, but in this two-day caravan scenario, we get to be with them 24/7. It’s a fun experience. Cardinal Nation is so big and for the Cardinals to allow alumni to come along with the young kids and to stay connected with Cardinals baseball, it’s just a great thing.”