Stephen F. Austin State University baseball team named 2020 Keeper of The Game Team of the Year

FRISCO, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University baseball team has been named the 2020 Keeper of The Game Team of the Year, the foundation announced Sept. 1. The Lumberjacks, led by head coach Johnny Cardenas, are the inaugural winners of the award.

The Keeper of The Game Team of the Year award was created to honor a baseball or softball team that displayed outstanding passion for serving their local special needs community and supporting the Keeper of The Game Foundation during their season.

“The Keeper of The Game Team of the Year award means a lot to our program,” Cardenas said. “We are humbled to have such an honor. This is a sport where you want to win games and win championships, but along the way, you hope to affect the growth of young men and show them that impacting other people’s lives is paramount.”

NCAA Division I SFA has been hosting Keeper of The Game events at Jaycees Field, its home ballpark in Nacogdoches, Texas, for three seasons now. The events include special needs games immediately following their own, as well as skills clinics and a costume-themed game in the offseason around Halloween. SFA also invites the athletes to its home games. All this has been done despite there not being a baseball-specific special needs organization in the area.

“Without any major organizations that offer baseball for athletes with special needs and disabilities nearby, we felt it was our responsibility as the biggest baseball program in the area to do something about it,” Cardenas said. “We got together with Keeper of The Game and got it going.”

SFA supports Keeper of The Game year-round by wearing the foundation’s bracelets, T-shirts and hoodies, and plans to be involved in the foundation’s annual Movie Night in the winter. The Lumberjacks also log countless hours volunteering in and around their community.

“To watch Coach Cardenas and his team lead the way to serve those with special needs and disabilities speaks volumes about the Stephen F. Austin State University baseball program,” Keeper of The Game Founder James Vilade said. “We are grateful their entire program has identified a need at home and created a solution.”

SFA’s 2020 roster was composed of 35 players, including 22 upper classmen who Cardenas said were instrumental in volunteer efforts. The coaching staff also includes assistant coach Caleb Clowers, assistant coach Mike Haynes and volunteer assistant Dylan Belanger.

“Coach Cardenas and SFA have provided the most powerful thing our special needs communities need: continued love and inclusion,” Vilade said. “This is a community outreach national championship!”