For the past 13 years, the Cabrini community has gathered in mid-September for a celebration of friends, family and baseball. Whether it be freshman, upperclassmen, alumni, faculty, or family, the annual Cabrini Night at the Phillies has become a staple event to kick-off a new academic year.
The event, organized by the Student Engagement and Leadership office, otherwise known as SEaL, brings the campus community from Radnor to Citizens Bank Park. It acts as the finale to a variety of welcome events for the incoming freshmen class each year.
This year, the event was held on Sept 14, a night which the hometown Philadelphia Phillies would face the visiting Miami Marlins. On a warm Friday afternoon, Cabrini students packed multiple school busses to take the 40-minute commute down the Schuylkill Expressway to the ballpark.
Upon arriving to the ballpark, students made their way up to sections 308-310, the designated Cabrini University seats, to find a good place to watch the game. The campus community was greeted warmly by a pregame appearance on the field from the Cabrini cheerleaders and school mascot, Calvin the Cavalier.
A promotional ad for the University, which was shown on Phanavision prior to first pitch, was welcomed by loud cheers from the student section.
In addition to all of the pregame festivities, Cabrini senior, Jessica Hayes, served as a Phillies ballgirl down the third base line for the game. Later in the game, following the fifth inning, the Cabrini dance team took to the field for a special performance with the Phillie Phanatic.
A big reason for hosting such an event is to help mix and mingle the new freshman class. Freshman Julia Davis was impressed with her first Cabrini Night at the Phillies experience, breaking her previous expectations
“It’s pretty cool, I didn’t think the school was going to bring as many students to an out-of-school event as big as this,” Davis said. “It’s really awesome to see everyone get involved and show up like this.”
The freshman students who attended the event were led by their orientation leaders, or OLs, who have helped them get acclimated to college life over the course of the past month. The OLs played a pivotal role in the organization of Cabrini Night at the Phillies, helping to direct students to the correct buses, distributing tickets and handing out the special Cabrini Night t-shirts.
Theresa Burton, a junior Psychology major, acted as an OL for the first time this year. Attending Cabrini Night at the Phillies meant much more to her than just hanging out with her friends, but helps to give a special sense of pride in her school.
“It feels pretty cool to get Cabrini known on a big platform like this in the city,” Burton said.
For Anthony Cirillo, a senior IST major, it was his fifth straight Cabrini Night at the Phillies. As a Cabrini upperclassmen, Cirillo is proud of his school and the recognition they get during big events like Cabrini Night.
“It’s nice to know that we are recognized, even though we are so small and there are much bigger colleges around,” Cirillo said.
Seeing alumni come together with the current school community on such a big stage is one of the best things about the annual event. Saleem Brown, Associate Director of First Year Experience, loves attending the event each year to see new and old faces alike.
“The freshman come out and have the opportunity to enjoy a game and be amongst friends, but also the alumni you run into come back just for this specific event,” Brown said.
In addition to all of the Cabrini-centric events, the Phillies did indeed play a ballgame! The Cabrini community was treated to offensive explosion from the hometown team. The Phillies scored 14 runs on 18 hits to win the game 14-2 over the Marlins.
