Harrison Smith switched from the gridiron to the diamond Monday night to help out Twin Cities youth.

The Vikings safety showed his support for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities by hanging out with members of the program at a St. Paul Saints exhibition baseball game.

Smith, who has been connected to the organization for several years, said he relished another chance to spend time with the young people.

"A lot of them are into sports," Smith said. "They'll ask me kind of what I was doing when I was their age.

"I interact with them and ask them how they're doing in school, what they like to do in their free time," he added. "It was fun just hanging out with them."

**Big Brothers Big Sisters** creates friendships by pairing up an adult (a Big) with a child (a Little) for mentorship through activities and help with academics.

Smith attended a Saints game two years ago with the organization and was happy to do it again.

"They do a good job setting things up and it's a good opportunity for the Bigs and the Littles," Smith said. "The Littles' parents came, too, so it seemed like everybody had fun."

Smith's involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters goes back to his college days at Notre Dame.

"When I was in college, one of my buddies had a 'Little' in the program," Smith said. "We all kind of hung out with him and tried to be a big brother to him.

"That was a small taste of it," Smith added. "And then once I got here I thought I'd try to get involved."

The Pro Bowl safety has been active with the organization around Minnesota since 2013 and has hosted kickball games at the Vikings headquarters at Winter Park in each of the past two years.

Smith was in the spotlight Monday night as he and three others threw out the first pitch before the Saints game.

"I'm not a good thrower," Smith said with a laugh. "But I had a couple guys helping me out.

"They all got baseballs at the end, so it was cool."

The 27-year-old Smith, known for his versatility on the football field, said he kept things simple on the mound by firing a fastball at the catcher's mitt.

"I tried to throw some heat on it," Smith said. "I was happy with it."