Baltimore has been practically giddy in the wake of the Orioles’ first round playoff win, which ushers the team into the Championship Series and one step closer to the World Series. And as the O’s get ready to take on the Kansas City Royals, we’d like to take a moment to highlight two UMBC alums who have also recently made the Orioles-related news.

Sergeant First Class Michael Zambito ’99, geography, was honored in Oriole Park’s Salute to Military Service during Game 1 of the Orioles playoffs last Thursday. The Salute is sponsored by the O’s and Bank of America and honors local service men and women for their service and sacrifice. Zambito attended UMBC on the GI Bill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Ai9A0j4eQ

And Lauren Hall ’10, psychology and sociology; ’14 M.A., sociology, has been making the social media rounds with her clever parody of Lorde’s “Royals.” As the video steadily climbs towards 75,000 views, Hall is understandably overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception. “I think it’s kind of funny,” Hall said in a WBALTV interview, “I wasn’t expecting the response that I got.” Hall is currently a University of Maryland research analyst.

And if any of you folks are on Twitter, keep an eye on #wewontstop. Let’s keep it trending all the way to a World Series win.