Furman baseball plays one, wins twice

Furman’s baseball team defeated 11th-ranked South Carolina, 6-5, at Fluor Field on Wednesday, and the Paladins also chalked up a win in the fight against childhood cancer with a post-game head shaving event that pushed the team’s fund-raising drive to $17,315 as of Thursday morning.

All told 37 Paladin players and coaches took turns on top of the Furman dugout following the game to have their heads shaved by barbers from Headline Haircuts — all in an effort to support the Vs. Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving kid’s lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts.

“I could not be more proud of our players and coaches for enthusiastically embracing this effort in the fight against childhood cancer,” said Furman head coach Ron Smith.  “As healthy collegiate athletes and coaches, we are indeed pleased and honored to lend our program’s collective ability and blessing in assisting in this most challenging battle, which we will ultimately win.”

Furman’s new fund-raising total, which surpassed its goal of $10,000, currently leads 42 participating programs.

Last year Furman’s head shaving event raised $12,487 — one of the highest totals among the nation’s participating collegiate baseball teams.

According to 2012 American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts and Figures, childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of kids, with an average of 36 children diagnosed with cancer each day in the United States and over 175,000 annually worldwide.

The Vs. Cancer Foundation is committed to helping children fighting cancer NOW as well as raising funds to continue the necessary research and help create a positive outcome for future cancer patients. Half of all proceeds raised from a Vs. Cancer head-shaving event will go to a local childhood cancer hospital and the remaining monies will fund research at a national level.

Donations to the Paladins’ fund-raising effort in support of the Vs. Cancer Foundation can still be made through Furman’s Vs. Cancer Page

(Photos courtesy of Wayne Rickman)