The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers hosted more than 2,300 students from across the area at Franklin Field Tuesday for a community education event combining science, weather, and baseball.
The event is a partnership between TMJ4, Discovery World, the National Weather Service, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Students had the opportunity to see a traveling weather show and watch a live baseball game, with some students putting together mock weather forecasts that could air on TMJ4.
WATCH: UMW Baseball weather show
UWM head baseball coach Sean Wagner said the program is part of a broader effort to connect student-athletes with the community.
"We do a good job with our program of trying to get into some of these local elementary schools and really just try to impact them, whether that's with recess or lunch or P.E. We've done math, we've done writing, we've done all those types of things, but we want to make an impact with them and then hopefully in turn they want to come out and they want to support our guys as well," Wagner said.
Wagner said he likes the energy the visiting students bring to the ballpark.
"I'm just excited for all the energy that the kids are gonna bring. I appreciate you guys partnering with us and bringing out some science into this atmosphere as well. I know a lot of the students are excited. My son is one of them. They're excited to see the show that you guys are gonna put on, so we're able to partner baseball, a love of that game as far as science and put those two things together," Wagner said.
The Panthers took on the Valparaiso University Beacons, whose school also has a notable meteorology program. TMJ4 chief meteorologist Brian Niznansky, a UWM alum, threw the first pitch.
Wagner noted the team recently returned from Las Vegas, where players dealt with temperatures around 95 degrees. He said the cooler Milwaukee weather Tuesday should make for better playing conditions overall.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
