Alex Cobb

In 2016, then-Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb wanted to send baseball equipment to troops overseas in honor of his brother, who serves in the Army. Cobb reached out to PIFBS, and together with Wilson Sporting Goods we were able to send 20 team kits of gear to soldiers at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.

Cobb has played 10 seasons of Major League Baseball for the Rays, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Angels.

Anfernee Seymour

A former 7^th round draft pick of the Miami Marlins, Anfernee Seymour played six seasons of professional baseball between the Marlins and Atlanta Braves organizations, including 103 games for the Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2019.

In 2018, Seymour worked with two-time softball Olympian Natasha Watley to deliver baseball and softball equipment and hold instructional clinics for kids in the Bahamas. The first annual Anfernee Seymour Charity Baseball Clinic was held on December 1^st and 2^nd, with 80 youth players age 9-17. The clinics featured sections for beginners, intermediate, and seasoned players, with drills on everything from catching the ball to situational plays.

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Seymour continued the project along with Watley in January 2020, helping Freedom Farm Little League to expand. The equipment distributed from PIFBS to the Bahamas that year was valued at nearly $6,000, including gloves, baseball and softball bats, and batting tees.

Don Mattingly

In 2015 when Don Mattingly was the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pitch In For Baseball Baseball & Softball launched its partnership with the Dodgers organization. Mattingly at the time had a baseball bat company, which he was looking to liquidate. As a result, Mattingly donated equipment to PIFBS, and PIFBS supported the launch of Mattingly RBI (now called Evansville RBI) along with Mattingly Charities. Mattingly Charities provides support to organizations that administer educational advancement, social development, and athletic programs for underserved youth in the Evansville, IN community.

Mattingly played 14 seasons of Major League Baseball – all with the New York Yankees – from 1982-1995. He was a six-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner, and 1985 American League MVP. Mattingly is currently the manager of the Miami Marlins.

Hunter Pence

Former MLB All-Star Hunter Pence and wife Alexis chose Pitch In For Baseball & Softball as the beneficiary of a collaboration between their company, Pineapple Labs, and off-field baseball apparel brand Baseballism in May 2021.

Pineapple Labs is a coffee, mugs, and stationary company inspired and designed by Alexis and Hunter Pence. The special bundle featured “Rise + Grind” coffee and mug set and an exclusive Baseballism snapback, with 100% of the proceeds donated to Pitch In For Baseball & Softball.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

On September 18, 2021, the Texas Rangers shortstop donated brand new gear to the Pinkston High School baseball team. In partnership with PIFBS, Alignd Sports, and New Balance, the donation of gloves, cleats, helmets & more helped outfit the team with proper gear for their fifth season playing at the Rangers Youth Academy facility in Dallas, TX.

“The circumstances of 2020 have really changed the way I look at things. This season, I’ve tried to focus my efforts to help those who might need it.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Jimmy Rollins

Jimmy Rollins, a longtime Philadelphia Phillies shortstop and 2007 National League MVP, became interested in assisting youth baseball in Uganda after seeing a documentary about the sport’s growth in the country. Rollins traveled to Uganda and funded the the Pearl of Africa Series between the Ugandan Little Leaguers and a Canadian Little League team in January, 2012.

PIFBS had been supporting Uganda Little League for five years at that point, providing the equipment for teams to form and for more kids to have the opportunity to play the game. Rollins went on to make two donations to PIFBS and filmed a PSA in 2015 to encourage others to get involved.

Logan O’Hoppe

As a teenager in 2013, Logan O’Hoppe did a collection project in his hometown of Sayville, NY and brought the donated equipment he received to the PIFBS warehouse in Pennsylvania.

O’Hoppe was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies five years later and is now a minor league catcher in the Phillies organization. O’Hoppe took the time to join our webcast and reflect on his donation project as he prepared for the 2021 season.

Natasha Watley

Two-time Olympian and former National Pro Fastpitch player Natasha Watley was a member of the PIFS Softball Advisory Committee and has partnered with PIFBS on several projects in recent years.

In 2018, PIFBS contributed nearly $50,000 worth of equipment to the Natasha Watley Foundation to help provide a quality softball experience for under-resourced girls in the Los Angeles area. The project helped lead to the creation of eight additional softball teams and provided updated gear for 22 more teams in the league, which was run by the Natasha Watley Foundation and the City of Los Angeles. Teams received a variety of equipment including softballs, bats, helmets, gloves, team bags, and more.

That same year, Watley and minor league baseball player Anfernee Seymour worked together with PIFBS to bring baseball and softball equipment to kids in the Bahamas and held instructional clinics for children on the island. Watley, whose mother is from the Bahamas, helped distribute more than 200 pieces of equipment among children who participated.

In January of 2020, Watley and Seymour returned to the Bahamas for a second installment of the project, offering skills training and donated gear from PIFBS to help Freedom Farm Little League expand.