CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- The University of Charleston baseball program prides itself on being well versed in their championship mentality not only on the field but off the field as well. Within the program, they have instilled three core pillars in which they strive for excellence. 
 
The first pillar focuses on graduating leaders, this means not only setting kids up to walk across the graduation stage but to also develop each player into an outstanding human being who is ready to go out and make an impact on the world. 
 
The second pillar is winning championships on the field. The program tries to accomplish this by equipping their team with championship resources while creating a championship development structure around them to give the team the best chance to win come gameday. 
 
The third and final pillar is to develop stewards in the community. The program strives to create a spirit of servant leadership within the program. The program has also decided that the best way to go about that is to engage with their community, more specifically by completing 1,000 hours of community service in the Charleston area over every academic year. A feat that they were able to accomplish this year even with the season having been cut short.
 
In the course of completing these 1,000 hours, each player is expected to contribute their time to the community in some form or fashion. How the team is able to accomplish so many hours is by calculating every individual's total time spent out serving their community. And as a collective group this year, they were able to reach the benchmark. 
 
Some examples of how the team was able to help their community include participating in the University of Charleston's enlightened living day where the baseball team and the other teams and members of the University were out on the town helping the city of Charleston in multiple facets to improve the city's cleanliness. 
 
Both in the Fall and the Spring, each athlete on the baseball team spent at least one hour in a Kanawha county school participating in services such as reading to elementary classes, one on one tutoring with students, some of them spent the lunch periods with the students from the schools and were out trying to create bonds with the kids and show them what a good role model looks like. 
 
They also volunteered at the local Ronald McDonald House. They helped them out by reorganizing their facilities both inside and outside. This was done by completing tasks such as stocking shelves, cleaning up multiple areas around the facility, raking outside areas, throwing down mulch and helping to improve the landscape of the facility.   
 
All of these are vital areas of the program's third pillar. Having them volunteer in the community helps the student-athletes to recognize how important it is for them to continue to serve their communities not only while they are in school but as they move forward in their lives as well. 
 
Reaching their goal of 1,000 total hours served has been a large feat for the program to reach and has made a positive impact on the community and the program as well. Head coach Robbie Britt is proud of what his team has been able to accomplish and loved the selflessness that he saw from his squad. 
 
"I'm extremely proud of their effort and their commitment to the spirit of servitude that we talk about all of the time. One of our championship behaviors is selflessness, and it is something that is not necessarily natural unless you practice it or unless you train that skill. For our guys to not only meet the expectation but to exceed it and take ownership in that process, I think it shows a level of maturity with our group and it excites me for them coming back next fall both on the field and also in the other realms of our program," said Britt. 
 
With this pillar in place and the way that the team was able to execute their goal for the year, they have shown their commitment to not only their program but towards their love for the Charleston community as well. It is a skill that being a student-athlete at the University of Charleston has taught them and is something that they will be able to take into the future as they move above and beyond life on campus.