Coppin State University’s baseball team, Major League Baseball and the Baltimore Orioles will host a free introductory baseball/softball event on Saturday, April 9 at Joe Cannon Stadium in Hanover, Md.
The event, intended for boys and girls ages 5 through 12, will begin at 9 a.m., with check-in beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Coppin State University baseball players and coaches will guide participants through sports drills and other activities meant to build their skills. This also serves as an opportunity for Coppin State University to engage with the community, through athletics.
“Baseball is a wonderful sport that has brought generations of people and communities together, for decades” Coppin State University President Anthony L. Jenkins said. “Our goals in this partnership are to allow our student-athletes to share their love of baseball and allow the next generation to aspire to follow their example: following their passion, playing sports at the collegiate level, and maintaining a commitment to academic excellence. Our hope is that Coppin State will one day have a field where we can host home games and more youth-engagement events that could bring more people to our campus to visit, to study, and pursue a Division I athletic career.”
All participants will receive a free PLAY BALL t-shirt, wristband, and bat and ball set to take home. Participants and their families are encouraged to stay and watch the Eagles take on Norfolk State University in a 12 pm doubleheader following the event.
“We are so excited to have been selected by Major League Baseball to host this signature event in collaboration with the Baltimore Orioles,” head baseball coach Sherman reed said. “Coppin State Baseball has fostered a culture of community engagement within our program. Our student-athletes are thrilled at the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile activity for our youth. The earlier we can capture kids by introducing them to the great game of baseball and softball, the better the chance we have of getting them hooked.”
The Play Ball Series relaunched in March, after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. David James, Major League Baseball’s vice president for baseball and softball development says 2022 is an opportunity to extend the reach and influence of baseball in all communities.
“Pre-COVID, we had plans to hit almost a dozen HBCUs,” James said. “And then, obviously, the world changed a little bit. We’re getting back to this early in the season and making sure that we go to communities where we don’t necessarily play — things like that — and make sure that we come to these communities and give kids an opportunity to participate in our sport.”
Visit www.PLAYBALL.org/events to reserve your child’s spot as space is limited.
About PLAY BALL
The PLAY BALL initiative is baseball’s global effort to encourage young people and communities to engage in baseball- or softball-related activities, including formal leagues, special events and casual forms of play. PLAY BALL events have become MLB’s signature youth engagement activity during the professional and amateur baseball and softball calendar, especially on key dates throughout MLB’s Championship Season and through the World Series. PLAY BALL events demonstrate the positive way the game can serve as an outlet for physical activity, fun with friends and learning how to play the sport at its most basic levels. PLAY BALL also serves as the League’s youth umbrella in which all associated programs and events derive from the initiative’s consistent, simple message: However You Play Ball, PLAY BALL! PlayBall.org is the PLAY BALL initiative’s online home and is accessible via MLB. com, USABaseball.com, USASoftball.com and other partner websites.