Our starting lineup for creating major league citizens.
Former MLB Players, Jeff Schaefer and Morris Madden, are fully committed to the mission of Knothole, leveraging their extensive professional playing experience and their decade-plus years of leading youth baseball organizations. They are well connected in the baseball community within the Charlotte area and nationally, including strong partnerships with MLB and many youth baseball organizations such as USA Baseball, CBC and Best in Class Showcase organizations.
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Born in Patchogue, New York, Jeff was drafted out of the University of Maryland, in the 12th round pick of the 1981 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Jeff enjoyed a 14-year professional career including several MLB seasons with the Mariners, White Sox and others. In 2007, Jeff opened the Carolinas Baseball Center, a state-of-the-art training facility in Charlotte, NC, and since then his focus has been on developing and creating life opportunities for the underserved youth in the area. After years of coaching, he noticed a disturbing trend where underserved youth in the Charlotte area were not participating due to costs associated with youth sports in general. In response, Jeff founded the UDACF, a 501(c)(3) organization, to provide social and financial capital to underserved youth and to pay forward to the community.
Born in Laurens South Carolina, Morris was drafted in the 1979 MLB draft into the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. As a left-handed pitcher, he played professionally for 14 years including with the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations. In 2011, Morris founded CMR, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to serve youth, with an emphasis on disadvantaged families, by providing a safe opportunity to learn and develop their skill in baseball and in life. CMR provides, among other services, academic tutoring and counseling, life skill services, and personal mentoring, as part of its mission.
