The 2009 Maryville (Missouri) baseball team was among several NCAA honorees that  the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance and the St. Louis Sports Commission recognized at the National Sportsmanship Awards banquet November 21.

The Saints were honored for their demonstration of teamwork by raising funds for Tyler Schmitz, whose family home was destroyed by a fire last February. To help his family recover financially, Schmitz decided not to play his senior season and took on two jobs and an internship in addition to his full-time class schedule at Maryville.

Through their efforts, team members raised enough funds and university officials granted Schmitz free tuition for that semester, which allowed him to scale back to just one job in addition to school. He was able to return to play and posted a 1-1 record in nine relief appearances.

The Maryville baseball team was one of 18 recipients at the 2009 National Sportsmanship Awards. Others included NCAA Sportsmanship Award winners Anthony DiCarlo, a wrestler from Anderson (South Carolina), who displayed sportsmanship in a match against an injured opponent, and Brown fencer Aleksandra (Ola) Mackiewicz, who gave up a spot in the national championships for a teammate.

Ohio State also was recognized for how the Buckeyes honored Navy before the teams met in the 2009 football opener.

The National Sportsmanship Awards banquet will be aired on the CBS College Sports Network in December.