Technically, the College of The Albemarle baseball team will be playing its final home games today when it hosts Lenoir CC in a doubleheader at 3 p.m. at Knobbs Creek. But the Dolphins will follow that with “home” games in Edenton, Williamston, Manteo and Kill Devil Hills.

The game in Williamston on April 28 carries some extra special meaning. All proceeds from the gate and the concession stand for the single game against Lenoir CC will be donated to the family of Charlie Brown, a Martin County sheriff’s deputy who lost his life in the line of duty in December.

“It hurt my family,” said Williamston baseball coach Hank Tice, whose brother-in-law went to high school with officer Brown. “It just stuck with me. That family lost a husband and father most importantly and our county lost a very, very good deputy — very well respected in eastern North Carolina. I think that’s our job as coaches, as people in the community to try and reach out and do what you can to help support families. What better way.”

The game was already scheduled as a fund raiser for the Williamston baseball team when Brown was killed. But it quickly turned into something for the Brown family.

“The more I thought about it, I thought it was the right thing to do,” Tice said. “That family needs that money more than probably we need baseballs.”

The game in Williamston will begin at 6 p.m.

Before that though, the Dolphins, in an attempt to strengthen their bond with COA’s branch campuses, will host Southeastern Community College in a three-game series this weekend at Hicks Field in Edenton.

The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game starting at 1 p.m. They’ll wrap up the series with a single game on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

“We have three different campuses and we thought it would be a good idea to play some games at our Chowan and Dare County campuses so that the students, the faculty and the community could feel more involved with our program,” said COA athletic director Jeff Carter. “We called (John A. Holmes High School athletic director) Bob Turner and he was gracious enough to agree to let us play there.

“We were also in touch with (Edenton Steamers president) Katy Ebersole and she’s been very helpful. Our marketing department has been working to let people know we’ll be there. We’re hoping to get a pretty good crowd.”

Despite their first-year status, the Dolphins are starting off as winners. The team, coached by Norbie Wilson, who was a very successful high school coach in Virginia Beach, has a 10-7 record in District X of the National Junior College Athletic Association and is 17-14 overall.

Carter had no reservations about moving home games.

“None whatsoever,” he said. “We’ve played at a lot of different fields this year (including home games at both Knobbs Creek Recreation Park and Pasquotank High School in Elizabeth City). We’re happy to play anywhere, anytime. It will be good exposure for our kids.”

Fans in the Dare County area will be able to see the Dolphins host Patrick Henry Community College at Manteo High School on May 1 and at First Flight High School on May 2.

Sports Editor Chic Riebel contributed to this story.