CSUN Baseball Steps Up as Volunteers with Northridge Challengers

During the college baseball season, Sundays are mainly reserved for the final game of a weekend series. However, for certain members of the CSUN Baseball team, Sundays can be reserved for a different activity.

Several Matadors have traded their uniforms for volunteer roles, stepping onto the fields of the Northridge Little League on select Sundays during the spring season, where the focus shifts from competition to connection.

In a tradition established by head coach Eddie Cornejo, the Matadors have worked with the Northridge Little League Challengers Division, a program specifically designed to make baseball accessible to children and young adults with special needs, including physical or intellectual challenges.

Open to boys and girls, the Challengers Division serves players aged 4–18, or in some cases up to 22, with an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

"The student-athletes that participate in this event are given a sense of a bigger purpose beyond their sport," said Cornejo. "They share feelings of satisfaction in servitude and connecting with those in their community outside of campus. I really hope they can build a foundation of serving others in their life and proving it can fit into a busy lifestyle. The rewards are priceless."

Cornejo developed a partnership with the Challengers' liaison, Drew Bracken. Through the partnership, members of the CSUN Baseball team who are not on the travel roster for weekend road trips have instead volunteered their Sunday afternoons at Northridge Little League.

Bracken, who is the brother of longtime CSUN Men's Golf head coach Jim Bracken, has overseen the development of the program, which has nearly doubled in size over his 15 years working with Challengers.

"These are kids that basically nobody wants," said Bracken. "What I say to the group of volunteers is 'raise your hand if you have someone in your life that has special needs.' I might get one out of 15. I tell them that they might be uncomfortable because we have a lot of kids that are non-verbal and they're not talking to you.

"All I want from our "Buddies", which is what they are called in the Little League world, is treat these kids like the little siblings you like – just protect them," he added.

As a volunteer, the student-athletes have helped in a variety of ways, ranging from assisting players with batting, running the bases, fielding ground balls and providing other support while encouraging the participants to play the game they love.
CSUN Baseball Challengers Volunteer Work

CSUN Baseball Challengers Volunteer Work

Senior right-handed pitcher Calix Armijo took on the role of a "Buddy" when he attended Challengers games last season.

Armijo, who suffered an injury early in his first season with CSUN, attended Sundays at Northridge Challengers for the remainder of last season and into the start of this season as he recovered.

"It was definitely one of the most meaningful parts of my time at CSUN," said Armijo. "Being a student-athlete, you can get caught up with the schedule, classes and workouts. I'm really glad to have been a part of it and work with those kids. Just to see the joy and excitement they brought out there, it was awesome."

The Matadors have provided the Challengers Division with much-needed support, which currently intakes roughly 80 players each season. Providing the necessary support for a group of that quantity has come with challenges according to Bracken.

"We do what we can," said Bracken. "Community service is not as important today [for schools] as it was 15 years ago. Plus, I think attitudes have changed— 'Why do I need to do that?' is a bit of the mindset. This year, we had some loose representation from some schools; coaches are still sending it out to their teams, but there's no real requirement to do volunteer work."

Over the past two seasons though, the Matadors have helped alleviate those problems with their consistency at events.

"What I told coach [Cornejo], you guys are tending to be the go-to this year," added Bracken. "CSUN has done more than you know for our program this year."

For many of the Challengers players, having college athletes by their side transforms the experience into something unforgettable. And for the CSUN volunteers, the impact runs just as deep. What began as a way to give back has become one of the most rewarding parts of their season.
CSUN Baseball Challengers Volunteer Work

Redshirt sophomore catcher Jehee Lee also endured an injury in 2025 that cut his season short. He used the time away from competition to volunteer with the Challengers, where he gained valuable experience.

"This experience is bigger than yourself," said Lee. "We're so blessed to play baseball each and every day. Some kids are not fortunate enough to do that. I feel like I'm serving the community when I'm helping those kids out. It's awesome to see a smile on their faces and so much joy. I feel like it's a great opportunity—if anyone wants to volunteer there, I recommend it."

The pressures of collegiate athletics—performance, travel, competition—fade into the background. In their place is a simple reminder of why they fell in love with baseball in the first place.

"Being able to step away from college baseball and work with these kids, it was a separate focus on having fun," said Armijo. "You can get caught up in the results of competition and competing in college, but you can quickly forget it's a kid's game. To work with the program, it was huge. It reminds you what the game is really about."

According to Cornejo, giving back to the community comes with the territory when you're a member of the CSUN Baseball team. Proudly wearing Valley State on their jerseys during baseball games – in a tribute to the school's original name of San Fernando Valley State College – keeping that connection to the Valley is essential.

"Our student-athletes understand that being part of the CSUN Baseball program requires a high level of dedication to their university and their community," said Cornejo about his team's community work. "Our connection to 'The Valley' is very important to us and we want to do our part in serving it."

The Matadors' role as Buddies and volunteers for the league has been impactful in several ways according to Bracken.

"I think that they've assumed the role of good champions for these kids," said Bracken. "I could tell that they are more mature. Their life experience has brought that stuff to the field that they share with the Challenger kids. They are good stewards for the league, and I think that's good for baseball that the CSUN players get something good out of it."

"I want to thank Drew Bracken and our CSUN athletic department for the connection it provided us with the Northridge Challenger program," added Cornejo. "We hope to continue participating for years to come."

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California State University Northridge Athletics

CSUN Baseball Steps Up as Volunteers with Northridge Challengers

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