K-State Baseball Holds Inaugural ALS Awareness Halloween Game
Oct 27, 2018 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – First-year head coach Pete Hughes and the entire K-State baseball team held the inaugural ALS Awareness Halloween Game Saturday night at Tointon Family Stadium, as players and coaches dressed in Halloween costumes for a free, fun exhibition to help raise money and awareness for ALS.
"I thought it was great," Hughes said after the event. "Any time you can spend a couple hours on a Saturday night to spread ALS awareness and get our kids in front of the community, it's a successful night. The kids had a blast, that's for sure. The crowd was lively and the kids had a lot of fun with it. Very rewarding night.
"It gets our guys to think about bigger things," added Hughes. "Once you get kids in your dugout thinking about doing good and getting away from ourselves a little bit, it's a pretty good foundation to start a culture change. That's what it's all about. These guys raised $24,000 in eight days for childhood cancer, so I know I have really good people in my dugout."
The Wildcats played dressed in costumes that included characters from Anchorman, Dodgeball and Forrest Gump while the coaching staff dressed as characters from Wizard of Oz and Coach Hughes as "Disco Pete." Players handed out candy to kids in attendance and took donations for ALS while entertaining a crowd of 500 people.
The ALS Awareness Halloween Game began in 2012 while Hughes was the head coach at Virginia Tech, when Hughes' former player Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS. Frates, who played for Hughes at Boston College, and his family spearheaded the Ice Bucket Challenge which has helped raise over $115 million towards finding a cure.
As of Saturday, K-State's players have helped raise over $23,000 for Vs. Cancer, a pediatric brain cancer foundation started by former North Carolina baseball player Chase Jones. Teams across the country have joined to fundraise for childhood cancer, with K-State's total being the highest in the nation. Donations can be made here.
The Halloween ALS Awareness Game is a staple event in Hughes' 19 Ways campaign he has implemented, which is designed to impact the community in a positive way on 19 different occasions.
Sunday will conclude K-State's annual Fall World Series, as the Wildcats will participate in another 19 Ways event in "Shave for the Brave." The team will shave their heads following Sunday's game, which is set for a noon start, to support children's cancer research as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
"I thought it was great," Hughes said after the event. "Any time you can spend a couple hours on a Saturday night to spread ALS awareness and get our kids in front of the community, it's a successful night. The kids had a blast, that's for sure. The crowd was lively and the kids had a lot of fun with it. Very rewarding night.
"It gets our guys to think about bigger things," added Hughes. "Once you get kids in your dugout thinking about doing good and getting away from ourselves a little bit, it's a pretty good foundation to start a culture change. That's what it's all about. These guys raised $24,000 in eight days for childhood cancer, so I know I have really good people in my dugout."
The Wildcats played dressed in costumes that included characters from Anchorman, Dodgeball and Forrest Gump while the coaching staff dressed as characters from Wizard of Oz and Coach Hughes as "Disco Pete." Players handed out candy to kids in attendance and took donations for ALS while entertaining a crowd of 500 people.
The ALS Awareness Halloween Game began in 2012 while Hughes was the head coach at Virginia Tech, when Hughes' former player Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS. Frates, who played for Hughes at Boston College, and his family spearheaded the Ice Bucket Challenge which has helped raise over $115 million towards finding a cure.
As of Saturday, K-State's players have helped raise over $23,000 for Vs. Cancer, a pediatric brain cancer foundation started by former North Carolina baseball player Chase Jones. Teams across the country have joined to fundraise for childhood cancer, with K-State's total being the highest in the nation. Donations can be made here.
The Halloween ALS Awareness Game is a staple event in Hughes' 19 Ways campaign he has implemented, which is designed to impact the community in a positive way on 19 different occasions.
Sunday will conclude K-State's annual Fall World Series, as the Wildcats will participate in another 19 Ways event in "Shave for the Brave." The team will shave their heads following Sunday's game, which is set for a noon start, to support children's cancer research as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
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