The Coppin State baseball team partnered with the Cal Ripken, Sr., Foundation to provide instruction to children during a three-day clinic held at the Ripken Baseball facility.

Dawan Smith, David Hamlett, Chris Vazquez, Zach Hawk, Alex Brown, Jordan McNair and Myles Taylor each participated at various stations during the clinic and also provided support during games.

"This is a great learning experience for our players," said Coppin State head coach Sherman Reed. "It's important for our players to understand what a positive impact they can have on young people. We were really excited to be able to partner with the Cal Ripken, Sr., Foundation."

The Cal Ripken Sr., Foundation in collaboration with the United States Department of Justice created a Badges for Baseball program as a juvenile crime prevention initiative aimed at enhancing the relationship between law enforcement and kids in underserved communities across the country using baseball as a hook.

Middle school aged kids from Virginia, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Illinois and New York took part in the three-day clinic, which included skill development on the field and character development off the field.