Lindsay Beaver has been a fan of the Detroit Tigers since she was a little girl.

The junior journalism major is one of 52 finalists for this year’s MLB Fan Cave.

But interacting with the baseball team isn’t a new experience.

Beaver, who works as the Sports Editor at The Oakland Post, has been going to baseball games since she was in kindergarten. She has also traveled to Florida for Spring Training for the past six seasons. Last year, she went as press for her uncle’s periodical, Grosse Point Magazine.

“I was nervous, since it was the first time I had ever done anything like that,” she said. “I was really nervous being in the clubhouse by myself. Everyone was nice and it went really well though. I got to meet a lot of people and it was an amazing experience. I hope I get to do again this year.”

Beaver said her main reason for entering the contest was her passion for the team. Her application included a two-minute video and an essay about why she should be selected.

“I know I’m perfect for it,” she said. “When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘I need to be here.’”

She almost wasn’t allowed to apply for this round, however.

The original deadline for submissions was a week before Beaver’s 21st birthday. The disappointed fan tweeted at the MLB Fan Cave Twitter for weeks until she was notified that the application period had been extended until after her birthday.

“That’s kind of weird. It’s a little suspicious,” she said. “I was literally, like every day, saying ‘You guys, you’ve got to extend it a week or something because my birthday is Jan. 13. Is this a joke? I don’t want to wait another year.’ And when I found out they extended it to the 25th, I was like ‘no way!’”

Beaver’s video includes a list of five reasons she should be selected. She said she thinks she should be selected because she’s “truly passionate about the team.”

“I already do what they want us to do — watch baseball, tweet about baseball, talk about baseball. And you get paid, live in New York, meet baseball players and celebrities … it’s perfect.”

Voting for the Top 52 ends Feb. 13. The Top 30 will go to Arizona for a week to audition in front of judges for the opportunity. There are only three Tigers fans in the Top 50 — a man and one other woman.

“I would be a great representative for the Tigers as well as Oakland University because I think people can tell that I’m a really passionate fan. I love Oakland, I love going to school here and I think students should get behind one of their fellow students,” Beaver said.

Watch and vote for Beaver here and follow her on Twitter. Participants can vote more than once.