When you’ve played nine tough innings and spent hours at the ballpark, you’re going to be one hungry baseball player. Multiply that by 24 (or more), and you’ve got a ravenous team on your hands, in need of some serious sustenance.

Courtney Gallagher, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, Texas A&M baseball team’s Assistant Director of Performance Nutrition is in charge of making sure her athletes are well-fed, and fed on-time. That’s not always easy when the team is on the road, often playing in unfamiliar locations. She’s had experiences in the past (with other college teams) where food didn’t arrive on time and as ordered, and that’s not something that she wants to repeat.

“Setting up catering can take a lot of time – to start the process and actually receive the food takes away from our day-to-day jobs, functioning as performance dietitians,” she says. Having to research new restaurants in towns and cities where she does not have pre-established caterers, or having to constantly follow up to make sure orders are on track can be stressful.

Luckily, that’s no longer the case. 

Stepping In To Pitch: ezCater

“Our goal is always making sure we’re feeding the players the best food to fuel them for pregame, and providing the best options for recovery post game,” says Gallagher. Since the team started using Texas A&M Athletic Department’s corporate ezCater account, it’s been a much more streamlined process.

During a Spring 2022 road game in Nashville, for example, Gallagher was provided with restaurant options based on the specific food preferences she shared with the ezCater concierge service. “It takes a little bit of extra work off of us,” she says. “I was able to give very specific needs and menu ideas and receive restaurant options that could accommodate.”

ezCater saved the game during the 2022 SEC tournament in Alabama as well. After multiple rain delays, being able to change things on the fly was so convenient. “We were sitting at the hotel, we were the second game of the tournament,, and we didn’t know when we were going to start. I could use the chat function and say ‘can I get 60 sandwiches in an hour and a half?’” says Gallagher.

In fact, it’s proven to be helpful on the road in general. “Depending on the time of the day or day of the week, some places won’t deliver, and we can’t take the team bus to go pick up food,” says Gallagher. Other times, places simply can’t accommodate the large size of their order. “I do understand that if I need 50 meals at 7pm on a Friday night, it can be a restaurant’s busiest time,” she says.

Instead of having to call around in desperation, through ezCater, she can find a suitable solution that still fits nutritional guidelines.

Covering All the Cuisine Bases

Gallagher says that with the baseball team, because of its large size, they usually don’t put in individual orders. Rather, she might order 20 portions each of three different menu items. This is convenient given the late game end times and players needing grab-and-go options. 

“On the road, it’s typically individually boxed meals so there’s less cleanup,” she says. This is especially helpful since some meals are eaten on buses or planes, in hotel meeting rooms as a group, or the players may take the meals with them back to their rooms.

As for what they eat, for a pregame snack, the go-to options are Jersey Mike’s Subs or Firehouse Subs for boxed sandwiches. Postgame meals vary, but being from Texas, the players love their barbecue and Tex Mex cuisine. Pasta is also a top pick. “It holds well from a temperature standpoint, and it’s high calorie, and we’re always trying to find ways to get in good calories at the end of the night,” says Gallagher.

In the Batter’s Box: ezCater to Serve More A&M Teams

With the success of ezCater for Texas A&M baseball, Gallagher expects to expand the service, and is already using it for the current volleyball season. “As we roll it out with multiple teams, it will save time,” she says. “[The dietitians] can still dictate menus and options, but we don’t have to follow through on that ordering piece so we can spend more time working with our athletes,” says Gallagher.

Another ezCater feature designed to simplify things is the ability to ensure that the university’s tax exempt status is automatically applied to all eligible orders. Not having to give tax exempt paperwork to every restaurant they order from is another time saver.

All in all, Gallagher is grateful for the extra time that ezCater has helped her regain so she can focus on the work she loves. “Calling restaurants, getting the person who can actually help you on the phone, then they have to call you back… ezCater saves probably two to four hours a week.”

How ezCater Feeds Athletes On The Road

Whether you’re a nutritionist or dietitian, coach or athletic director, if you work with professional or college athletes and need a catering partner you can rely on, ezCater has a variety of options to keep your team fed. Learn more about how ezCater feeds athletes.