College Baseball Team's Troops Salute

Last year, the NCAA Division I men's baseball team at the University of the Pacific showed very visible support for their friends fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq: keeping their traditional black-and-orange Tigers uniforms in their lockers for Sunday home games and donning camouflage instead. This season they took things a step further, boosting town/gown relations in a community hit hard by the recession at the same time. Veterans -- both local Tigers fans and those who come to the games to support the visiting teams -- and their immediate families get in free for these games.  In addition, the first pitch is thrown by a distinguished U.S. veteran. The games feature color guards, salutes to veterans, and informational booths and tents throughout the concourse at Pacific's Klein Family Field.  

The program - called Salute the Troops -- grew this year to include the involvement of Pacific faculty members who have served in the military, students, and local veterans' organizations, says Noah St. Urbain, assistant baseball coach. Members of the team, other students, staff, and a number of individuals from the off-campus community have gotten involved.  "There are so many helpful resources for veterans in the community," says St. Urbain, "but many people may not know about them, so this is a great way for them to make their services available to those attending the games."

The series will culminate in a Memorial Day ceremony on May 30th as the Tigers take on UC Santa Barbara. "A U.S. Army Chinook helicopter will land on a nearby practice field," says St. Urbain, "and the crew will offer tours to local kids." The Tigers will take to the field following a 21-gun salute. The team's camouflage jerseys will be auctioned off during the game, with proceeds to benefit local
veterans' outreach groups.

The whole program sounds like a win-win to us. And it's a good example of how an institution can build on a successful idea and enhance community relations at the same time.