PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — Just because the UMES baseball team won’t begin their season until February doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy. In addition to a strong academic record, the team gave up days of their time in various community service events.

“We ask for a lot of these young men on the field and in the weight room, but to see them be successful in the classroom and in the community makes our program very proud.” Hawks interim head coach John O’Neil remarked.

The main stop for the Hawks has been the Holly Center, a residential and training center serving Delmarva residents with developmental disabilities located in nearby Salisbury. They worked a fall festival, assisting in parking and running the various carnival games and attractions, as well as a haunted house in October and the Winter Wonderland Holiday Dance in December, where players sported the best holiday costumes and spent time with the center’s residents. Another project was Operation Teddy Bear, when the Hawks helped residents onto trailer trucks from Purdue Farms to view the town’s Christmas lights.

“We have been fortunate enough to have been working with the Holly Center for some time now.” O’Neil said. “They are a first class organization who truly makes a significant impact in the lives of others in need.   UMES baseball is just happy to lend a hand.  Volunteering at the Holly Center completely humbles us and makes us realize how privileged we actually are.”

But their service went well beyond the Holly Center. The Hawks also organized a toy drive, raising money to purchase toys for children in need, helped Berlin-area locals park for their annual Christmas parade, and participate in the Relay for Life at Salisbury’s Winterplace Park.

As previously mentioned, the baseball team did more than just make a community commitment. 20 of 29 student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the classroom, resulting in a 3.17 team GPA. All this came along with a fall ball schedule consisting of a weekend of games, several intrasquad competitions and numerous practices.

The 2016 baseball season commences February 20th in South Carolina with a neutral site game versus Fairleigh Dickinson, with a long schedule that runs until May.