BOSTON – The Suffolk baseball team will conclude its regular-season schedule in stand-up fashion Sunday, April 28 as the Rams entertain Endicott in a Military Appreciation contest at 1 p.m. at East Boston Memorial Park.
The Rams will wear camouflage hats to honor those who have and are currently serving to protect this country.
Ceremonial first pitches featuring Suffolk baseball's own Logan Heckman, an infantry rifleman of the US Marine Corps, and a number of Rams' alumni with military service -- Steve Durant, B.S.'08, Joe Duca, B.S.'01, Mike Monagle, B.S.'01, M.Ed '11 and Frank Tierney, B.S.'15 -- will precede the Rams' regular-season finale against the Gulls.
Heckman served in the Marines for four years where he was stationed across the country, Japan and South Korea, prior to enrolling at Suffolk University and joining the Mutts in the Fall of 2017.
Durant joined the US Army following his 2008 graduation from Suffolk and served from 2009-13. During that time, he went on two combat tours in Kandahar and Afghanistan.
Duca and Monagle, both members of Suffolk's Class of 2001, enlisted in the US Coast Guard in 2002.
Duca, a Boatswain Mate Third Class, was stationed on the US Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis in Newport, Rhode Island until 2005.
Monagle, meanwhile, served from the USCGC Campbell (2002-03), Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi (2003-04) and Headquarters Support Command (2004-05). The Yeoman, Third Class Petty Officer earned multiple recognitions throughout his service including National Defense Service Medal, Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal, Coast Guard Unit Commendation Award, Commandants Letter of Commendation with 1 Gold Star and the Coast Guard Battle "E" Ribbon. Monagle, who returned to Suffolk to earned a Master's degree in Administration of Higher Education in 2011, will be joined on the mound Sunday with his five-year-old son Cameron of the Reading Astros.
Tierney, a 2015 graduate of Suffolk, is currently serving in the US Coast Guard as a Petty Officer Third Class and is stationed in Boston.
In addition to the game, senior captain Trevor Lee has organized a clothing drive for the New England Center and Home for Veterans. A table will set-up behind the backstop Sunday accepting new or gently used clothing in all sizes for both men and women. Fans are encouraged to bring donations and those that do will be entered to a to win a Suffolk Athletics camo baseball hat. For more information on the drive, please click here.
Sunday's showdown with the Gulls caps off Suffolk's regular-season slate. Following the non-league clash, the Rams will turn its attention to prepare to hoist the GNAC trophy for the fifth consecutive campaign next week. The complete bracket for the upcoming 2019 GNAC Baseball tournament is set to be released Sunday night or first thing Monday morning.