UCLA Baseball Veteran Appreciation Day

On Monday, April 11 the UCLA Baseball program hosted Veteran Appreciation Day at Jackie Robinson Stadium, with more than 100 veterans from all across Southern California coming out to take part in the day's activities.

The veterans were treated to a day of Bruin Baseball, with UCLA alumnus and current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opening the event by speaking to the group. Roberts, who played four years at UCLA in front of veterans at Jackie Robinson Stadium, grew up in a military family with a father who served in the marines corps for 30 years.

Also in attendance was UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero, who played for Bruins in the early 1970s. “One of the great things about UCLA Baseball is its decades-long relationship with veterans of our U.S. Armed Forces,” said Guerrero. “I remember playing in front of our veterans and after games, visiting with them and hearing about their experiences. This event brought back all those memories. You watch our baseball student-athletes and alums share their craft with our veterans while the veterans in turn share their remarkable stories and prospective with them – it's one of my favorite days of the year and a tremendous opportunity to say 'thank you' to everyone who has sacrificed for our country.”

After a brief period of socializing on the concourse with Roberts, Guerrero and others, the veterans were invited down onto the field to take batting practice and play catch. The group got a chance to interact with the current UCLA players and coaches who gave them a few friendly pointers along the way.

“We owe so much to the veterans for their dedication to our country,” said UCLA Head Coach John Savage. “This event allows us an opportunity as a program to give back to them for all that they've sacrificed. We want them to feel like they are a part of the Bruin family and events like this offer a chance for them to be involved and have fun. We play in a stadium that bears the name of a veteran and Bruin legend, Jackie Robinson, and we strive to carry on his legacy by continuing to serve the veteran community.”

This season, the Bruins, who first began playing baseball at the VA in 1933, will host three Veteran Appreciation games in which a veteran will throw out the ceremonial first pitch while the team honors all current and former service members by wearing special camouflage jerseys. And as is the case throughout the season, veterans receive free admission to all UCLA Baseball home games.