BALTIMORE, MD – Community service is one of the pillars of the Johns Hopkins baseball program, and this year's team is doing its part to continue the impact the Blue Jays have on the community. The Hopkins baseball team has worked with various Baltimore charities and has helped by donating food, books, toys and their time this school year.

"Community service is a big part of Hopkins baseball," head coach Bob Babb said. "We believe that giving back is an important aspect of the JHU baseball experience."

Each Sunday, Babb and his wife, Gilly, invite six players to their home to make casseroles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to donate to Baltimore charities. For Thanksgiving, the Johns Hopkins baseball team helped to supply dinner to 100 families selected by a Baltimore city mosque, synagogue and two churches. The team helped to make 20 pumpkin pies, 15 corn casseroles and 12 green bean casseroles.

The Blue Jay baseball players are also involved in Johns Hopkins University Mentoring Program, JHUMP. The players, along with other JHU student-athletes, work with middle school students from a Baltimore charter school on academics then participate in fun activities.

The Johns Hopkins baseball team has volunteered near campus, working with the Charles Village Community Association by spending a Saturday morning cleaning the dell adjacent to the Baltimore Art Museum. The players raked leaves, collected trash, painted fences and planted trees.

Fourteen JHU baseball players donated to and participated in the Kidspeace Trick-or-Trot Run at Camden Yards in October, and even took a picture with Orioles manager Buck Showalter. The following month, members of the team took part in Movember, growing mustaches and beards to raise money and awareness for men's health issues. Through their efforts, the players raised more than $400 to help fight men's prostate cancer.

The Blue Jays embraced the holiday season as a time of giving back to their community. The baseball team held a holiday toy drive benefitting Family & Children's Services of Baltimore and wrapped gifts in December. The team and the players' parents also supported a book drive by donating and purchasing hundreds of books for a fourth grade class comprised of low-income, inner city children.

The Blue Jays have continued their service in the new year. Eleven Hopkins baseball players took part in the Martin Luther King's Day of Service; four players helped students at the Calvert School, while Babb and seven Blue Jays moved furniture for the Heaven on Earth charity, picking up unwanted furniture at three locations and delivering it to a single father in Perry Hall.

The Johns Hopkins baseball team will continue its community service efforts with a food drive in February.

Sophomore Tim Kutcher has been heavily involved in the JHU baseball community service projects during his time at Hopkins and it has been a critical component of his experience:

"It is really important to me to be a part of a program that goes beyond more than just the baseball field and goes beyond more than just the classroom. Our program prides itself on being great well-rounded student-athletes and community service is a key part of that. There is always something to be involved in and always some opportunity to give back thanks to our coaches. It is always great to give back with teammates, and our group community service helps others while also building important camaraderie. The community service is also a great way to extend beyond the 'Hopkins bubble' and connect more with Baltimore. It has been incredible to see the impact I can make and relationships I can develop in the Baltimore community, specifically with younger kids, just from the community service I have gotten involved in with Hopkins Baseball. Something this has done for me is foster a sense of leadership. I think Hopkins Baseball aims to develop leaders in our community, not simply leaders on the athletic field, and service is a great way to do so. It is awesome to have coaches that are passionate about giving back, and making us aware of just how lucky we are. Coach Babb is constantly telling us how thankful we should be for the opportunities we have and to realize how different the situations are of the people we are helping. I take a ton of pride in what we represent as a program, and through Hopkins Baseball have developed more of a passion myself for giving back. Our commitment to giving back is one of the important things that sets Hopkins Baseball above other programs."

--30--