SAN FRANCISCO – Outside of time spent polishing themselves in the classroom and on the diamond, Academy of Art baseball has been working daily to beautify the streets of San Francisco. A morning ritual that began six weeks ago sees a collection of Urban Knights literally sweep through Sutter Street and more, collecting trash to improve conditions for all.

"Each player volunteers one morning of their week to clean and, on a given weekday early morning, you'll see a group of ART U baseball players giving their time to give back to city and help keep their home clean," said Assistant Coach Pat Collins-Bride. "The players enjoy it, they do a good job, and have a true sense of pride in what they are doing."

Seeking to find a meaningful way to give back to the San Francisco community during the current COVID-19 pandemic, Collins-Bride and members of the team focused their attention on bettering the route they all walk daily – Sutter Street. After connecting with the SF Department of Public Works' "Adopt-A-Street" program to make Sutter Street from Mason Street to Leavenworth Street their own, ART U was supplied equipment such as trash bags, vests, gloves, and pickers to begin their care-taking.

As part of their everyday routine, six different Urban Knights begin cleansing walkways at 6:30 a.m. at Mason Street, make their way up the north side of Sutter Street to Leavenworth Street, then down the south side back to Mason. Building on the process that began in March, the team plans to continue through the end of the school year and resume their work in the fall.

"Our team motto 'Hard Nose' is more than how we approach our play on the field," said graduate student catcher Ryan Gamboa. "Off the field we want to make an impact in our community. Sutter Street is our home and making the sacrifice to wake up early and clean up our neighborhood is a humbling and positive experience. San Francisco is one of the best cities in the world and we intend to keep it that way."