La Crosse, Wis. - The Viterbo University baseball team offered a helping hand this past weekend as they spent three hours cleaning up the grounds at Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center as well as building team chemistry.

"It was nice for the entire baseball team to give back to the community that supports us as well as come together as a team this early in the season," commented junior outfielder Drew Roberts."

The team participated in numerous projects that helped prepare Norskedalen for the winter months. The V-Hawks cleared out trails that are used for hiking, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling. They also helped clean out a barn that will be used for storing historical farm equipment. One group also helped prepare one of the houses to get it ready for being restored.

Norskedalen is a nature and heritage center dedicated to preserving, interpreting and sharing the natural environment and cultural heritage of the area surrounding Coon Valley in southwest Wisconsin. Norskedalen offers numerous activities for visitors to participate in including special events, heritage classes, lodging in a 130 year old cabin, and educational classes.

Once the work was done Father Tom O'Neill, Vice President of Mission and Ministry at Viterbo University, provided lunch for the student athletes and coaching staff. Fr. O'Neill serves as the baseball team chaplain as well. Team leaders then provided the team with an opportunity to participate in team building activities. These activities were geared towards helping to build chemistry and camaraderie amongst the team.