Marcus Sanders’ dad has been doing this for so long that perhaps the novelty has worn off for the 22-year-old. But sitting along the first base line earlier this month with some of his new teammates at Coppin State brought back the wide-eyed wonder of a Major League Baseball game.

As the Orioles spilled onto the field to celebrate the most improbable of improbable comebacks — from a three-run deficit and being no-hit for 8 2/3 innings to a walk-off victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers — Marcus Sanders and his friends whipped off their shirts and twirled them over their heads in euphoria.

This was what dreams are made of, and Marcus Sanders watched as his dad, Orioles first base coach Anthony Sanders, joined in the revelry. And yet Marcus Sanders learned it was just the second in-person MLB game one of his new teammates at Coppin State had ever attended.

“I got used to it a little bit,” Marcus Sanders said. “But for them, I’ve been really enjoying their reactions they’ve been giving.”

Baseball has been an ever-present part of the Sanders family, bringing the three sons and their father around the country to pursue a passion. They hope to see more families like their own fall in love with the sport.

On Thursday night, the Orioles are hosting a celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In doing so, the organization hopes to emphasize — or reengage — a relationship with members of the community who have seen their representation in Major League Baseball dwindle over the last several decades.

On opening day, 6.2% of the players on active rosters this season identified as Black, which is down from 18% in 1991, according to the Associated Press.

When Anthony Sanders looks into the stands near his post along the first base line to see Marcus and his friends, he’s glad to see the representation at the college level. Marcus, his middle child, and Logan, his older son, both played at Southern University and A&M College, a historically Black college in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Marcus Sanders recently joined Coppin State, one of two HBCUs in Baltimore, as a fifth-year player for the upcoming season. But Anthony Sanders knows there remains work to be done to showcase that baseball is an option for Black athletes.

“This has been a topic that has been ongoing for a lot of African-Americans in baseball, guys who played with me, guys who are older than me,” said Anthony Sanders, who reached the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999. “I’ve seen my kids play Little League all the way up to what they are doing now, and it’s a shame that it is like that and baseball has gone that direction, because of other sports, football, financial reasons.

“But when I tell you there are athletes out there who are capable and good enough to play, they’re out there,” Sanders continued. “We have to find them, and I’ve seen baseball at pretty much every level, and there are some really talented players at these HBCU schools and across the country.”

Marcus Sanders has seen the truth in that up close, both at Southern and Coppin State.

“The talent is there and there are plenty of guys, if given the right chance, could most definitely make a name for themselves at the HBCU level,” said Marcus, who plays infield. “I know a ton of guys who can definitely play. Seeing them out there playing is super cool, because growing up back home [in Tucson, Arizona], there definitely wasn’t many.”

As part of HBCU night, the Orioles are welcoming the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. Marching bands will play pregame and the Morgan State University Choir will perform the national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as “The Black National Anthem.“

Kerry Watson, the Orioles’ executive vice president of public affairs, said Thursday’s events are part of a greater effort from the organization to represent all of Baltimore.

“For so many reasons, I think acknowledging, supporting and partnering with our HBCUs and our Black sororities and fraternities is an important part of what we’re trying to do,” Watson said, “which is reengage with a community that has maybe felt disengaged from baseball.”

From his perspective, the smaller number of scholarships at the college level for baseball compared to basketball and football may play a role in which sport young athletes pursue at a higher level. But at the most basic level, Watson said, is the need to provide an opportunity. If more children learn about baseball, there may be more who become passionate about the sport.

The Orioles’ RBI program is part of a larger initiative from Major League Baseball to generate opportunities in baseball and softball for players in cities.

“What we want to do with this RBI program is, number one, give the kids a chance to learn the game, baseball and softball,” Watson said. “Get them out there playing. Become fans of the sport. Understand the nuance, the specifics. It’s just a very different type of game. And then for those kids that show exceptional talent or desire, we can support that growth and help them into programs in high school or club that will help extend their playing careers, be it through college or in the minor leagues. But first and foremost, I think it’s important for us to give kids the chance to be kids and get the chance to play.”

Watson was also critical in establishing the Orioles’ partnership with Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School, and each Friday home game, students from the West Baltimore school attend games and meet players. Without the knowledge of the front office, Orioles players voted to give one playoff share from the 2024 season to the school, which helped to fund an outdoor classroom.

During assemblies, visits from Orioles players helps to increase awareness of those athletes within the community.

Of course, one of Baltimore’s most beloved Black players, Cedric Mullins, is no longer with the team. The Orioles traded the outfielder to the New York Mets in July.

“I’m out in the community quite a bit, and I’m around a lot of African American people who follow the Orioles, and all the kids’ favorite player is Cedric Mullins because they can identify with someone who looks like them,” Anthony Sanders said. “It was a big loss, losing a player like that, but we have some other young, talented players coming up that these kids can attach to, and I think it’s important to the community and Major League Baseball.”

Watson agreed that it’s important for children to have a role model to whom they can relate. But he said the diversity of the Orioles is a strength, even with the loss of Mullins.

“If you look at our team, it is really diverse, with a lot of Afro Latin players who are making a big difference,” Watson said. “Sam Basallo, quite frankly, looks like me. Comes from a different place. But I’m hopeful when, let’s say, our kids at Harlem Park have Gunnar [Henderson] or Ryan Mountcastle or Jordan Westburg or Sam Basallo come to the school, hopefully our players are telling them it doesn’t matter what you look like, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, that there’s determination, there’s focus, there’s drive, and that is where the opportunity lies.”

When chasing a dream in baseball, the path can lead to unexpected places. The Sanders family knows it all too well. Logan, Marcus and their younger brother, Troy, all played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, a team in the Alaska Baseball League that holds games for college players in the summer. Their dad fulfilled a goal by flying to Alaska during the All-Star break to watch his sons play on the same team — and to fish for salmon.

All three boys stayed with the same host mom, Caroline, whose cooking received rave reviews from Marcus Sanders — bacon and pancakes and biscuits with gravy among his favorite meals in that far-off place of nightless summers.

“I’ll never forget it,” Anthony Sanders said. “It was short, but that’s been on my bucket list. I got to fish and watch some baseball.”

For as glamorous as Camden Yards can be, the journey to the big leagues includes many such stops off the beaten path, away from the bright lights. There is the slog through the minor leagues for many, the bus rides stretching for hours, but for those who love it, they wouldn’t trade the opportunity for anything.

That’s what it often comes down to: an opportunity.

“Part of what I feel we have to do as an organization is provide opportunity where there’s seemingly not,” Watson said. “And in Harlem Park specifically, it’s one of those places we’re trying to dive deeper, be more focused, be more intentional, and set an example for other companies, other organizations, throughout the city and the country for how you can provide those sorts of opportunities where there are seemingly none.”

And on HBCU night, the Orioles are emphasizing just that. No two paths are the same, but they all can lead to the same place.

“No matter what you look like, your background, your color, if you have that work ethic and you’re really good at what you do — and you need to get lucky a little bit, too — but you never want to kill anyone’s dreams,” Anthony Sanders said. “Any kids playing at these colleges and such, you never want to count anyone out. Go out and chase your dreams as long as you can.”