There was a buzz around Cedarcreek Field following Muhlenberg’s baseball doubleheader against McDaniel on Saturday.

The buzz had nothing to do with baseball – it was the buzzing of clippers shaving the heads of Muhlenberg players and coaches.

Twenty-three Mules gave up some or all of their hair in support of the Vs. Cancer Foundation.

Founded by Chase Jones, who was diagnosed with Stage IV brain cancer as a freshman baseball player at the University of North Carolina, the Vs. Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving kids’ lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts.

Through an online pledge form and e-mails to family, friends and friends of family, Muhlenberg raised nearly $8,000 – more than Division I teams Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee combined.

“I think that’s amazing,” said junior outfielder Tyler Latrenta. “We really rallied behind it.”

The Mules were first approached about the cause in early February. First-year head coach Tod Gross knew about Vs. Cancer from having coached at Davidson College in North Carolina, the state in which the organization is based. Assistant coach Jon Baltz and senior co-captain Tim Velys put in considerable effort as the Mule liaisons with Vs. Cancer.

A portion of the money raised by the Mules went to the Lehigh Valley Health Network to help children battling cancer in Muhlenberg’s neighborhood.

It was not difficult to convince the team members to support children with cancer. Getting their heads shaved … that was a different story for some.

“I heard it from both sides – shave it, don’t shave it,” said Latrenta, who had not gotten a haircut since October and sported nice curly locks beneath his hat until Saturday. “My mom wanted my hair gone, but my baseball team wanted me to keep it. They said it looked too good to chop off.

“I came in freshman year with my hair like this and I promised I’d never have it like that again. So I guess I went back on my promise, but I HAD to do it,” he added. “It was for such a good cause to help out kids who don’t have it as lucky as we have it. It will grow back. It might take a while, but it will grow back.”

In the four days since getting his head shaved, Latrenta has found that it’s easier to get ready in the morning and harder to get noticed by non-teammates.

“I’m not getting many reactions [to the haircut] because most people don’t recognize me!” he joked.

Jones himself made the trip up from Raleigh to help with the postgame trimmings and talk to the team about his history and the mission of the organization he founded, which helped put an extremely positive end to what otherwise would have been an disappointing day.

“To be able to do it as a team on the field, especially after two tough losses, was really rewarding,” said Latrenta. “It was an honor to be a part of it.”

For more information, please visit vs-cancer.org.