D-backs to wear special patch in memory of Kayla Mueller during Spring Training games this week

PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) will wear a black patch with "KAYLA" written on the sleeve in memory of Prescott resident Kayla Mueller. All D-backs uniformed personnel will wear the special patch during Spring Training games March 3-8. Mueller, a human rights activist, passed away last month while being held captive by the Islamic State in Syria.

"Kayla will always have a special place in the history of Arizona and we are deeply saddened by her loss," said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. "The way in which she helped others and gave back to the world around her embodied many of the core values of our organization and our players will undoubtedly be proud to wear her name on their sleeves."

Mueller, 26, attended Tri-City College Prep High School and then Northern Arizona University, where she studied political science and focused on international issues in and out of the classroom. After graduation, she traveled around the world, volunteering with several humanitarian groups and teaching young children abroad.

Praised for her humility and selflessness, she was held captive for 18 months in Syria before perishing on Feb. 6, 2015. In Kayla's memory, her parents started a non-profit organization called Kayla's Hands (www.kaylashands.org) that works to further Kayla's humanitarian efforts both locally and internationally.