For three years, Mumma played in the minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox farm system. He was drafted after his junior year, but was determined to finish his studies in economics. "I came back in 1992 for three consecutive falls to finish my degree," says Mumma. "I was most proud of being an academic All-American in 1991 and 1992." Mumma was also on the dean's list nearly every semester, and he graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.4. One person he credits for his success is Brad Humphreys, economics professor, who he now recommends highly to any of his players. "He always made himself available to students and really cared about seeing us do well. His tests were not easy. You had to work hard, but you walked away learning what you needed to know," says Mumma.

As a coach, Mumma is very involved with the athletics department's Excel Program, which was designed to help at-risk students manage their academic success. Along with the rest of the coaching staff, he serves as a counselor for athletes who are struggling in their studies. Mumma works with 20 students per semester on a weekly basis to make sure these students get the help they need to do well in their studies. "I tell all my players that academics have to come first. My goal is to see everyone on the team graduate in four years with at least a 3.0 GPA."

Major league teams frequently draft UMBC players during their senior year, but about 20 percent of players are selected by their junior year. "We have seen almost one player every year since 1989 go to the major leagues," says Mumma. According to Mumma, many UMBC players who are recruited out of college are a semester away from graduating, but most will return to finish their degrees. "It's a priority for the players," he says.

Two players now in the majors are Jay Witasick, a pitcher with the San Diego Padres and Wayne Franklin, a pitcher for the Houston Astros. Both achieved athletic and academic success at UMBC, and although both of these players are accomplished on the baseball diamond, they enrolled at UMBC because of the educational opportunities.

Ira Carlson, a mechanical engineering major, came to UMBC to play Division I baseball. His hard training gave him the opportunity to play for the pros. Carlson returned to UMBC last fall to move toward completing his studies. "Not finishing school was never an option," says Carlson. Other baseball programs sought Carlson, but he chose UMBC because of the choices it offered. "It was the combination of having engineering and Division I baseball that helped me to choose UMBC. That was rare, and most schools I was recruited by didn't have both," says Carlson.

Kevin Loewe, economics '95, says that the experience he had with UMBC's baseball program was invaluable. "It enabled me to continue my baseball career and offered me the opportunity to get drafted by the Atlanta Braves. It helped me to be not only a better player, but it helped me prepare for life. Playing baseball and going to school takes a lot of work," says Loewe. "It helped me to prioritize."

"I give players every opportunity I can for study breaks, and I would say that close to one-third of the players on the team have a 3.5 GPA or better," says Mumma. The coaching staff realizes that academics are a priority. Mumma emphasizes, "Anything less than your best is not good enough. That works both in sports and in the classroom."

Travis Timmons is the poetry editor of UMBC's literary magazine Bartleby and writes for the Retriever Weekly.