On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Donovan Stadium the MVCC Hawks met the Utica University Pioneers for their annual scrimmage but the cause was far more important than the actual game.
MVCC and Utica University baseball supporters combined to raise nearly $900 for the Amazing Gracie's gift foundation. Gracie's gift assists families faced with pediatric cancer or another life threatening illness. On hand to throw out the first pitch was Gracie's Dad Geoff Lawton (Pictured below with Hawk skipper Dave Warren). The teams also brought awareness to Student-Athlete mental health with the help of the Hilinski's Hope organization. The team's wore special green ribbon helmet decals and wristbands. Green ribbon pins were also passed out to many of the families in attendance.
The game featured something that is an extreme rarity in college sports with two fathers coaching one side and two son's playing on the other. MVCC Head Coach Dave Warren and Assistant Coach Joe Scalise were in the home dugout while son's Tanner and Jake competed for Utica U from the opposing Side. Coach Warren said after the game "It was a great day for our community as well as my family and the Scalise family. It was a very emotional day for me really. It is a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
For more information on Gracies Gift:
https://www.amazinggraciesgift.org/
For more information on Hilinski's Hope:
https://www.hilinskishope.org/