John Jay College Athletics

New York, N.Y.— The John Jay College of Criminal Justice baseball team continued its winning ways! On Nov. 20, the team spent a portion of the day in Riverside Park helping in a park rehabilitation effort through the Riverside Park Fund volunteer project.

The Bloodhounds spent over three hours planting and rescuing plants as well as helping repair a badly damaged slope in the park which was damaged due to the extensive stormy weather in New York during the summer months.

“The John Jay baseball team is an asset to Riverside Park,” said Lynda Miller, director of the Riverside Park Fund. “They are a hard working, polite and enthusiastic group whose efforts will go a long way in helping the Park to recover from the extensive storm damage it suffered this summer.”

The baseball team planted six American Hollies and rescued a White Pine along West 104th street.

“Volunteering in the park is a lot of fun. It gets the team to bond in a way other than just baseball,” said senior captain Edwin Hernandez. “It definitely makes us a better baseball team on the field as a result. What’s best about it is when you look back on it and see how beautiful something looks, you can say you were a part of it.”

The Riverside Park Fund’s mission is to preserve and improve New York’s classic waterfront green space. Riverside Park stretches four miles along the Hudson River starting at West 72nd street and concluding at West 158th street. It covers 330 acres of land.

“We love volunteering for the Riverside Park Fund. It is a fantastic organization and exists for a great cause,” said John Jay director of athletics and head baseball coach, Dan Palumbo. “Many people have a much more enjoyable time in the Park because of the Riverside Park Fund.”

John Jay baseball participates in numerous events year round. Each year the team sponsors a Christmas party for orphans in the area and hosts an annual fund raising dinner in honor of former John Jay baseball head coach Lou DeMartino.

The 2010 baseball season opens on Sun. Feb. 28 against Capital University at 11 a.m. followed by John Carroll College at 2:30 p.m. at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla.