Baseball Preps for Exciting and Emotional Weekend

4/4/2017 8:14:00 AM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Giving back to the community is something that Louisiana College baseball is known for and takes great pride in doing. This weekend as the Wildcats host the University of Texas at Tyler in a pivotal American Southwest Conference series, the activities before the first pitch will mean more to the players and fans than whether the Wildcats win or lose.

This weekend the Wildcats will host their annual "Autism Awareness Day" and "Cats Crush Cancer Day".

On Friday, students from all across Rapides Parish will join the Wildcats for a pregame meet and greet and join the players on the field as a member of the team. They will receive signed baseballs and pictures from the players and join them as they take the field for the national anthem.

For the last six years the Wildcats have dedicated a game and day on their schedule as "Autism Awareness Day". Each of the four coaches on the team, head coach Mike Byrnes, his son Matt Byrnes, pitching coach Stuart Morgan, and hitting coach Andrew Shelton have all spent their teaching careers working with student with autism.

"Each one of us have taught students or been around students with autism," Matt Byrnes said. "I think that's why we have such a passion for it. We see the everyday struggles that they go through and being able to raise awareness means a lot to us on a personal level, because we've seen what these students need to succeed in the classroom and every day life."

What started as a fundraising mission between Matt Byrnes and his supervisor, Cathy McKay, at J.B. Lafargue Special Education Center has turned into one of the most memorable days for autistic students in Rapides Parish and the Wildcat baseball players.

"We always talk about, there is so much more to baseball than just the game," Byrnes said. "Having a day like this really shows you how important it is to give back and that you focus on the important things in life. Win or lose, that's one of the best days of the whole year because of what we get to do and what it means to those students and their parents."

"It's great to see these kids faces light up when they come in," Wildcat senior Kiefer Moore said. "They get to come out here and meet the team and hang out with a bunch of college baseball players.

"It's a great day for them and us, because it's bigger than baseball. That's what this whole program is about. It lets us take a step back and think about the bigger picture and how we're blessed with the ability to come out here and do this and how these kids look up to us. They get signed baseballs and pictures with us, they love it, we love it, it's just a great part of what we do."

Saturday will take on an entirely different meaning, as the LC baseball team will present checks to the Rapides Regional and Cabrini Cancer Centers prior to the noon game, as a part of their annual "Cats Crush Cancer" campaign.

For every home run LC has hit the past three seasons, the Wildcats and their fans have donated money to the local cancer research and treatment centers. The amount is based on pledges made by fans and families at the beginning of the season at the Louisiana College First Pitch Banquet. In 2017, the Wildcats and their fans are donating $131 for every home run hit during the year, home or away.

The campaign began in the 2015 season as Head Coach Mike Byrnes' wife, Colynda, was continuing her personal battle with the disease.

"She was diagnosed in November of 2014 and once that hit, it was really one of the worst times for us as a family," Matt Byrnes said. "We decided we were going to make the best of it and do everything we can to spread the word and help with cancer research."

Many of the Wildcat players showed their support for the Byrnes family during that time by shaving their heads, as Mrs. Colynda was dealing with the side effect of chemotherapy treatments.

"We were all shocked when coach told us that his wife had cancer," senior pitcher Austin Taylor said. "I've had people in my family with cancer and I know how tough it is. It felt like it was 25 degrees but we still shaved our heads and showed coach the support that he needed from his players and how much we cared about him and Mrs. Colynda."

The Wildcats have continued to show their support even after the remission report for the first lady of Wildcats baseball in January of 2016. To date, the Wildcats have hit 17 home runs during the 2017 season for a total of $2,227 and each home run means just a little bit more to those who hit them.

"It makes it more personal when those home runs happen," Moore said. "It's one of the ways that helps us unify more as a team, for a reason that is bigger than baseball. Home runs help us win games and score runs but also it's also money that is donated by our fans and family.

"Cancer has affected a lot us on the team, Coach Byrnes' wife, I've had people in my life affected by it, so it's an awesome opportunity that we have to help out with the research."

"It's going to be a very emotional day, like it is every year," Byrnes said. "We're lucky that mom's in remission and she's fighting. Now it's our job to help others who are fighting like her and make sure that we do anything we can to support them."

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