MLB teams to wear hats honoring Florida shooting victims

Major League Baseball teams plan to wear Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hats during the league’s first spring training games on Friday to honor the victims of last week’s shooting at the South Florida school. 

More than 20 of the league’s 30 teams have requested permission as of Tuesday to wear the hats, the Miami Herald reported. Teams will play in their first spring training games on Friday in Florida and Arizona.

The Miami Marlins had reached out to the league shortly after last Wednesday’s shooting to see about wearing the school’s hats. The team also reportedly plans to wear special shirts during batting practice before the game with the hashtag #17douglasstrong.

{mosads}Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo, an alumnus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, attended a vigil in Parkland, Fla., last week and called for change to prevent further shootings.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder after he allegedly opened fire at the Parkland high school, killing 17 people and injuring more than a dozen others. 

The mass shooting has prompted renewed calls for stricter gun control laws, with many students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas among the most vocal advocates.

Students from the school are planning to head to the Florida state Capitol this week to demand action from lawmakers. They have also announced plans for a march later this year in Washington, D.C., to protest gun violence.