By Ken Hornack

For Bethune-Cookman pitchers Jordan Dailey and Ali Simpson, there's nothing quite like bonding with some new teammates over a few chainsaws.

That's right, chainsaws.

One of the first things Jason Beverlin decided to do after becoming head coach of the Wildcats in July 2011 was to take his players for a combination team-building exercise and retreat to The Parent Help Center, located in a heavily-wooded rural area on the north end of Jacksonville, Fla. This time, the weekend getaway in late September 2012 required them to be divided into three groups, one of which was responsible for clearing fence lines and cutting down hedges.

Their uniforms, if you want to call them that, consisted primarily of clothes purchased at thrift shops with equal parts comfort and comedy in mind. And in the wrong hands, some of the equipment wielded to allow tractors and mowers to maneuver with greater ease on the property could have given new meaning to the phrase “tools of ignorance.”

But let it be known that all of the Wildcats successfully steered clear of bodily harm.

“We broke a couple of chainsaws. Other than that, we were good,” Dailey said with a laugh.

Simpson, a left-hander coming off Tommy John surgery, had nothing but good things to say about the outing on the eve of fall practices.

“They kept us busy,” he said. “It wasn't like we were just sitting around waiting for time to go by.”

“Most of them weren't too worried about their phones or anything else,” said Beverlin, who guided B-CU to its seventh consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament title in his first year on the job. “And it's also good every now-and-then to get away from electronics.”

During his time as the pitching coach at Tennessee and Georgia Southern, Beverlin got the chance to meet Glenn Ellison, who founded The Parent Help Center more than a decade ago to help change the way parents deal with and correct bad behavior and attitudes in children. Almost 2,000 families have been through his program, which emphasizes respect for others and the ability to control one's anger.

In the Wildcats' first excursion there, they had to improvise when it came to a break from their chores. A baseball was formed out of painter's tape, with broom handles used as bats and empty pizza boxes as bases. Now, Ellison's camp includes a basketball court, and there was also a football for the players to toss around.

But it wasn't all fun and games. Besides the landscaping work, Beverlin's players were kept busy washing windows at nearby Jacksonville National Cemetery and detailing cars, while some of the children taking part in what's known as Camp Consequence looked on.

“I want our guys to just see some of that dynamic and also be an example for some of these kids,” Beverlin said. “When they see us go there and working hard and helping out, it kind of gives these kids a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.”

“You can see who's really dedicated to doing work and who's sitting around in the shade,” outfielder Josh Johnson added. “But everyone was hands-on.”

The Wildcats also heard Tony Boselli, the former All-Pro offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, speak to them about the importance of making good choices.

“I didn't grow up down here, so I didn't understand how famous he was,” said Simpson, who is a native of British Columbia. “But it was pretty cool to have a pro football player speak in front of us. And when I got home, I looked him up and found out he's a pretty big deal.”

After arriving Friday night by bus, the Wildcats stayed in a house provided by Ellison or one of the modular trailers. The house included six bunk beds and served as a gathering place for the players to swap stories and get to know each other better Saturday night.

On Sunday, they were given a tour of the Montgomery Correction Center next to the cemetery before heading home.

“It's an eye-opening experience for those players who have never seen a jail,” Beverlin said. “It makes you realize it's not someplace you ever want to go.”

The trip marked the first time many of the B-CU players and coaches had assembled as a group since the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Regional in June. Ideally, it will lay the foundation for their MEAC title defense once the season starts in February.

“Being able to go up there as a team and spend two days together definitely brought everybody closer,” Dailey said.

“Half our team is new this year,” Johnson said. “And we've been individuals this whole time. So getting to know the rest of the team was really a big deal.”