Brothers of Beta Kappa Phi Make a Pitch to Raise Funds for Cancer Research

Students run more than 60 miles to Progressive Field in support of The V Foundation

Pat Grab heads north with the ball that would be used for the first pitch before the Indians-Tigers game on April 17.

WOOSTER, Ohio - The distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound is 60'6", but the Brothers of Beta Kappa Phi covered considerably more ground - just over 60.6 miles, in fact - to hand deliver a baseball that would be used for the first pitch before the Cleveland Indians' game with the Detroit Tigers last Thursday at Progressive Field.

Brandon Schechter, a senior from Calabasas, Calif., was first in line. With ball in hand, he departed campus just after 8 a.m. and headed north on the first leg of an eight-hour journey that would involve 25 members of the club - all in the name of charity. The group set out hoping to raise $4,000 for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, but when all the money was counted, they had more than $5,000.

Aaron Schiffrik, a senior from Cleveland, made arrangements with the Indians and led the way by running 10 miles. His brothers ran lesser distances on the journey up Route 3. "Five of our members had cars, so we used those to transport runners to various locations along the route," said Tyler Linvill, a sophomore from San Jose, Calif. "Some of our guys ran together; some ran alone. Fortunately we all made it there without incident."

Schiffrik was chosen to throw out the first ball because of his prominent role in the effort. He was accompanied on the field by Chris Collen, a junior from Granville and president of Beta Kappa Phi, and Gilbert Lemieux, a senior from Boulder, Colo., who raised the most money ($700).

"It was awesome," said Linvill. "Everything went very well. It was a beautiful day, and we had great support from Wooster students, both in terms of their donations, and their presence at the game that night."

The Indians capped a perfect evening by trouncing the Tigers 11-1.