COBE hits a home run with annual baseball tailgate

Before the umpire dusted off home plate and yelled “Play ball,” the College of Business and Education welcomed its students, faculty, staff and alumni to a beautiful, sunny-and-75-degree day at the ballpark for its third annual COBE Night.

The April 11 social event included food, games and music for an hour ahead of the Highlanders hosting Virginia Tech at the Radford Baseball Stadium.

“This year’s COBE Night at the baseball game was a huge success,” Dean George Low said after the game. “We had more than 150 COBE students, faculty, staff and alumni come together to socialize and to support our Radford baseball team. This year we were fortunate and the weather was perfect.”

Marketing major Hermela Sambu sang a stirring rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and City of Radford Mayor and COBE adjunct management faculty member Bruce Brown tossed out the ceremonial first pitch.

“I just hope to throw it straight and not into the dugout,” Brown said minutes before walking to the pitcher’s mound. He noted that some of the Highlander baseball players enrolled in his class had “coached me a little.”

Senior finance and economics double major Graham Jolley, wearing his complementary red COBE sunglasses, made certain everyone had a fun time playing the various games stationed around the tailgate area.

Sophomore Jermaine Grandison, a management major from Lorton, attended to “do some recruiting” for business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.

Michael Meekers, a member of the Radford University tennis team, joined the celebration with a few teammates after practice. “We just came out to have some fun, good food and watch some baseball,” said the junior finance major from Opglabbeek, Belgium.

Meekers said there is no baseball in his home country, but “I’ve been here for three years now, and I’ve started to appreciate it,” he said. “It’s still kind of hard to understand, but I like how they hit the ball. I wouldn’t be able to do it. We have a tennis racquet, but they have a baseball bat, and it’s a lot harder.”

Assistant Professor of Economics Tom Duncan said the event was “about encouraging our students. It’s great for the college and students to come out and support our teams.”