A Closer Look Into the 2025 Birdland Caravan Across Maryland

Beginning Thursday, January 30, more than 10 Orioles players, the manager, and front office staff loaded onto two buses and spent the next three days making 21 stops across 17 towns throughout Maryland. The weekend brought Orioles magic to thousands of fans and prepared Birdland for what will be an exciting season of O's baseball.

Birds Go Back to School

The Orioles began their journey throughout the greater Baltimore region at Glendale Elementary School in Glen Burnie, which was the first of four school assemblies the Orioles hosted during the Caravan. The team also traveled to William Winchester Elementary School on Thursday, then made stops at Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School and George D. Lisby Elementary School on Friday, and Severn Run High School for a Kids’ Rally to conclude the weekend on Saturday. At each stop, players and coaches answered questions from the students and participated in different games centered around the value of teamwork. During the Q&A session at Severn Run, infielder/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn jokingly said that his favorite sport was golf, and he said his favorite teammate is pitcher Félix Bautista when the O’s are up one or two runs in the ninth inning. Outfielder Colton Cowser also snuck in a question about who his teammate’s favorite teammate is, but to his surprise, no one mentioned him.

Happy Hours And... A Sing-Along?

The Orioles topped off the first day of Birdland Caravan with a stop at Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe. Infielder Jackson Holliday, pitcher Chayce McDermott, O’Hearn, and pitcher Albert Suárez experienced a temporary career change as they worked a shift manning the bar and serving beer to O’s fans. The 21-year-old Holliday worked the pours like a pro, leaving behind his days of Bird Bath Water from the Orioles’ Postseason clinch celebration last year. Together, the newly minted bartenders served more than 600 fans and gave them looks at who they are off the field during Q&A sessions.

On Friday, the Orioles ended the day at PBR Baltimore for a happy hour with a twist. This event was all about karaoke; a handful of Orioles players, staff, and fans bravely took to the microphone to sing their favorite tunes. There may not have been any Grammy Award-winning performances on the evening, but that didn’t stop those in attendance from belting out their favorite songs. Cowser sang his rendition of “Baby” by Justin Bieber and infielder Ryan Mountcastle stuck with his go-to of “Dear Maria, Count Me In” by Baltimore’s own All Time Low. Other Orioles who hopped on stage to perform in front of the 450 fans in attendance included Holliday, infielder Gunnar Henderson, O’Hearn, catcher Adley Rutschman, Suárez, and infielder Jordan Westburg.

O's Lend a Helping Hand

Again this year, the Orioles made it a priority to give back to the community through Birdland Caravan. On Friday, seven Orioles players along with Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias spent the morning helping various organizations in the community. They began in Baltimore at the Warehouse Collaborative, where they dove into meaningful community projects supporting four local non-profits: ShareBaby, Maryland Book Bank, Leveling the Playing Field, and Break a Difference.

Mountcastle, Cowser, Westburg, and Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde made a stop at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center to thank MedStar Health associates for their vital work in the Baltimore community.

Henderson, Holliday, McDermott, O'Hearn, Rutschman, and Suárez worked together to help The Transformation Center, located in South Baltimore, prepare for their upcoming food and clothing distribution drive by assembling packages of food to be handed out to those in need.

The Orioles finished the weekend with a volunteer project at Eastern Family Resource Center in Rosedale. Holliday, McDermott, and pitcher Cade Povich helped the organization put together 100 toiletry bags for the residents. The players, along with Elias, also met with residents and took a tour of the facility.

Meet & Greet with Baltimore's Finest

Several Birdland Caravan stops took the Orioles to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of Baltimore City and County Police and Fire Departments. The players met with dozens of first responders from Baltimore County Fire Station #18, the Baltimore Police Southwest District, Catonsville Fire Department #4, and Northern District Howard County Police. Players got to ride in the fire trucks, and O’Hearn even swapped his uniform for bunker gear.

Trading in Cleats for Bowling Shoes

The Orioles started the final day of their winter tour with the first ever Kids Day, presented by Maryland College Investment Plan, by lacing up their bowling shoes at Bowlero in Columbia. More than 180 O's fans were joined by Cowser, Henderson, Hyde, O'Hearn, and Rutschman for some friendly bowling competition. Before knocking over some pins, the Orioles held a meet and greet with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore. Cowser and the Oriole Bird made sure to try out some of the bowling alley's arcade games with the kids in attendance.

Growing the Game

On the last day of Birdland Caravan, young Orioles fans had the opportunity to learn the ropes of baseball from current and former O's players at Meadowbrook Athletic Complex in Ellicott City. Cowser and Rutschman were joined by Orioles Hall of Famer Al Bumbry, former pitchers Brian Bass and Dave Johnson, and former outfielder Larry Sheets, as they taught over 200 kids how to navigate the baseball field like a pro. The young participants learned the fundamentals of hitting, throwing, baserunning, and fielding. The Orioles also had help at each station from members of their Nike RBI teams.

Pop Up Photo Ops

Hundreds of O’s fans got to meet and take photos with several Orioles at three secret locations throughout the region. The Orioles revealed the locations of each Pop Up 24 hours ahead of time on social media and text alerts, and fans dropped everything to meet some of their favorite athletes. The first Pop Up Photo Op stopped at the Urbana Regional Library in Urbana, on Thursday, where McDermott and O’Hearn met up with some of Birdland's biggest supporters.

Cowser, Hyde, Mountcastle, and Westburg surprised fans in Abingdon, at the Harford County Public Library: Abingdon Branch on Friday. Fans had the opportunity to take photos with the Orioles while some baby birds posed in Cowser’s arms – most were happy to be there.

On the final day of Caravan, Holliday and Suárez stopped at the East County Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring. There, they met and greeted dedicated Birdland fans while smiling for photos. Afterward, Holliday and Suárez stumbled upon an unfamiliar sport: cricket. The baseball pros joined the East County Rec Center's cricket league practice to try their hand at batting and pitching – or bowling – a cricket ball.

Pack-ing Things Up

The final event of the Birdland Caravan took place at Bel Air Sports Cards, where O's rookies Holliday, McDermott, and Povich teamed up to open packs of baseball cards with Orioles fans. A handful of the 200 fans in attendance were lucky enough to pull a Holliday card, while Povich was able to snag a Bowman Chrome autographed card of teammate Heston Kjerstad.