If you were one of the fortunate people who attended Friday night’s (June 1) Arizona Coaches Association Academic All-Star Baseball Game at Surprise Stadium, you saw what can happen when academics, athletics and community service come together.

The game began in 2006, but this was the first time that scholarship money for the 31 seniors was part of the equation.

The Surprise Sundancers community volunteer group provided $48,000 worth of funding for the players whose grade-point averages are 4.0 or above or in the upper reaches of the 3’s. Twenty-eight players received $1,000, two received $5,000 and one received $10,000.

What a wonderful gesture by the Sundancers, who were formed in 2002 and now have several hundred members.

The top three recipients were Surprise Valley Vista pitcher Matt Garringer ($10,000), Glendale Deer Valley outfielder-pitcher James Walsh and Tempe Marcos de Niza infielder-pitcher Dallas Sigrist ($5,000 each).

Potential honorees are nominated by their coaches/schools, and there were more than 100 who applied this year.

“It’s a great opportunity for these kids,’’ said East coach Joe McDonald of Anthem Boulder Creek.

Here’s hoping that someday, the Sundancers’ generosity becomes contagious and other similar organizations can step up to help boys and girls in other sports.

The sense of pride, the look of accomplishment on their faces, says it all.