The Dugout as Sanctuary in In Her Own League

Introduction

In Liz Tomforde's In Her Own League, the dugout of the Windy City Warriors’ ballpark is far more than a place for players to sit between innings. For protagonist Reese Remington, the same concrete alcove that once served as a six-year-old’s fort becomes a recurring refuge from the pressures of ownership, public hatred, and the weight of being a woman in a male-dominated sport. This analysis traces the literal appearances of the dugout as sanctuary, examines how its meaning shifts across the story, and connects the symbol to key characters and themes such as vulnerability, trust, and gender dynamics. The analysis is based solely on the supplied excerpt evidence.

Literal Description of the Symbol

The dugout sanctuary is a specific spot inside the Warriors’ home dugout. As described in Chapter 4, there is a small alcove on the right side of the dugout, just large enough for one or two people to sit. A half-wall holds the dugout phone and provides privacy, blocking the view of anyone who might come out onto the field. Reese refers to it as her “secret spot” — the last place anyone from the front office would look for her. Childhood memories paint it as her own personal fort, where if she could not see anyone else, they could not see her.

Emmett Montgomery, the field manager, later claims the same seat as his own (though he rarely uses it during games, preferring to stand by the dugout stairs). The alcove thus becomes a shared physical space where both characters seek solitude and, eventually, each other.

Recurrence Across the Novel

The dugout sanctuary appears at key moments of emotional crisis or transition:

• Chapter 4 (Reese’s perspective): After a tense front-office meeting where she demands budget cuts and faces resistance from the all-male advisory board, Reese drops her composed facade as soon as the door closes. She bypasses her office and heads directly to the dugout alcove. She encounters player Harrison Kaiser on the way, but after dismissing him, she settles into her private seat.

• Chapter 27 (Emmett’s perspective): Following a controversial trade that brings rookie Milo Jones to the team, online hatred toward Reese escalates. Emmett searches for her and finds her in the dugout, scrolling through hate comments on her phone. Her appearance is exhausted — red-rimmed eyes, a permanent furrow in her brow. She confesses, “They hate me.” Emmett takes her phone, comforts her, and learns the childhood origin of the spot.

• Chapter 12 (Reese’s perspective): This visit is more casual. On a Sunday in San Diego, Reese comes to the dugout to say hi before the game. She finds Emmett with his grandson Max. Though not a crisis moment, it shows the dugout is also a place where she seeks connection with Emmett in a relatively neutral setting.

• Chapter 35 (Reese’s perspective): After a night together, Reese notes that her pregame visit to the dugout was “short-lived” because too many players were around, making it unsafe to linger with her fresh feelings for Emmett. This indicates the dugout remains her habitual destination but now carries romantic risk.

How the Meaning Changes

The dugout’s symbolic weight evolves across the timeline:

1. Childhood fort (innocence): To six-year-old Reese, the partition walls created an invisible barrier. She believed that if she could not see others, they could not see her. It was a place of play and hiding from parents — pure escapism.

2. Adult refuge (self-protection): When Reese returns to the team as owner and president, the dugout becomes a retreat from the constant scrutiny of being a female executive. She reads hate comments there, absorbs pressure, and allows her professional mask to drop. The space holds her loneliness and vulnerability.

3. Shared sanctuary (connection): Emmett’s discovery of her ritual changes the meaning. He recognizes the dugout as “a nice reprieve from the office, from all the eyes on me.” But he also vows to become a “soft place” for her. The physical sanctuary begins to represent emotional safety in another person. By Chapter 35, Reese’s longing for the dugout shifts toward longing for Emmett — her condo feels empty without him, and she admits his company “no longer compares” to her solitude.

Character and Theme Connections

Reese Remington

Reese uses the dugout to manage the emotional toll of her unprecedented position. The evidence shows she is acutely aware that few people believe in her. The dugout is where she admits her fears (“I’m screwed”) and later her exhaustion. It is a space where she can be human, not the stoic president. Her relationship with the dugout mirrors her broader struggle: she loves the team but feels isolated by her gender and authority.

Emmett Montgomery

Emmett’s role in the symbol is pivotal. He finds her repeatedly, not by chance but by intuition. In Chapter 27, he pieces together that she would be in the dugout because “I tend to find her in the dugout when the players are gone.” He does not try to fix everything; instead, he offers presence, takes her phone, and quietly vows to be a resting place. This moment crystallizes his emotional arc from adversarial field manager to supportive partner.

Themes

• Vulnerability and Trust: The dugout is where Reese exposes her weakest self to Emmett. She admits her childhood origin story only because she is too tired to lie. Trust grows from these unprotected moments.
• Gender Dynamics: The dugout as sanctuary is directly tied to the extra scrutiny Reese faces as a woman. The press conference in Chapter 5 shows reporters asking sexist questions; afterward, she retreats. The symbol highlights how female leaders in sports often lack safe spaces within their own organizations.
• Sacrifice and Vulnerability: Reese’s budget cuts and trade decisions lead to public backlash. The dugout absorbs the cost of her sacrifices. Emmett’s vow to be a soft place connects to the theme of someone seeing beyond the professional armor.
• Found Family: Though the dugout is initially a solitary space, Emmett’s presence begins to transform it into a shared spot. By the epilogue, Reese is fully integrated into Emmett’s family — Miller, Kai, and Max. The dugout’s evolution parallels her move from isolation to belonging.

Study Questions

Question 1

How does the description of the dugout in Chapter 4 establish it as a secret hiding spot, and what does Reese’s route there reveal about her state of mind?

Answer: After a tense budget meeting where she feels unsupported by the all-male advisory board, Reese deliberately bypasses her own office — a public space — and takes the elevator to the clubhouse level. She knows the dugout is the last place anyone from the front office would look. Her careful navigation shows she needs total privacy to release her performative confidence. The half-wall and phone alcove physically separate her from the field, reinforcing that she is hiding from both people and expectations.

Question 2

What does the childhood origin of the dugout fort (six-year-old Reese’s belief that “if I couldn’t see anyone else, they couldn’t see me”) reveal about her coping mechanisms as an adult?

Answer: As a child, Reese used the dugout’s partitions to create an illusion of invisibility — a simple game of hide-and-seek. As an adult, she employs the same logic: physical concealment becomes emotional concealment. She hides not from parents but from critics, journalists, and staff. The childhood game has evolved into a survival tactic for handling public scrutiny and loneliness. It underscores that Reese has never fully outgrown the need for a private retreat where she can drop the facade.

Question 3

In Chapter 27, Emmett says, “Maybe it doesn’t just need to be this secret spot that’s a reprieve for her. Maybe I could be a resting place too.” How does this vow redefine the dugout’s symbolic meaning from a physical space to an emotional one?

Answer: Before this moment, the dugout represents solitude — a place where Reese hides from others. Emmett’s promise to become a “resting place” shifts the sanctuary from a location to a relationship. He offers himself as a confidant who will not judge her vulnerability. After this vow, the dugout begins to symbolize their shared trust. In later chapters, Reese no longer seeks only the dugout; she seeks Emmett. The physical space remains important, but its meaning expands to include the emotional safety he provides.

Question 4

How does the gender dynamic of Reese’s position influence her need for the dugout as sanctuary? Use evidence from the press conference interaction in Chapter 5.

Answer: During the press conference in Chapter 5, reporters repeatedly focus on Reese’s gender rather than her qualifications — one asks if she feels “in over her head” as a woman, another asks how she will balance family and career. Emmett later tells a reporter not to say “stupid shit” about being bossed around by a woman. These moments demonstrate that Reese faces constant gendered skepticism. The dugout offers an escape from that daily battlefield. It is a space where no one questions her authority because no one is watching. The sanctuary exists partly because the organization (and the league) has not yet made her feel fully welcome anywhere else.

Conclusion

The dugout in In Her Own League is a layered symbol that evolves from a childhood fort to a professional hiding place and finally to a shared emotional refuge. Through Reese’s repeated retreats and Emmett’s gentle intrusion, the concrete alcove becomes a testament to the need for safe spaces — both physical and interpersonal — in a high-pressure world. Liz Tomforde uses this recurring motif to deepen the romance, illuminate character vulnerability, and critique the extra burdens placed on women in sports leadership.

For further reading on related themes, explore the pages on gender dynamics in sports, sacrifice and vulnerability, and trust and self-doubt. Learn more about the characters Reese Remington and Emmett Montgomery to see how the dugout shapes their arcs.