Atlantic Cape Buccaneers Baseball Team
MAYS LANDING – As Atlantic Cape Community College’s Buccaneers Baseball team celebrates earning its first-ever top-10 national ranking, the college is planning a capital campaign to revitalize its field on the Mays Landing campus.
Bring It Home Capital Campaign
During its game on Saturday, April 10 against Sussex County Community College, Atlantic Cape will officially launch the “Bring it Home” capital campaign. To mark the kickoff, Bring it Home committee Co-captains Steve Nehmad and Thomas Heist will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at 11:30 a.m.
The Atlantic Cape Buccaneers have not practiced or played on campus for more than two decades, robbing the team of the opportunity to play on their home turf and limiting student attendance at games, which bolsters school spirit and the full college experience. Currently, the team travels more than 20 miles to Surf Stadium in Atlantic City to practice and play. Now it’s time to “Bring it Home” to create a true home field advantage for the team, a release stated.
Committee members, Atlantic Cape and Buccaneers alumni, current coaches and successful entrepreneurs are supporting the program.
“Baseball at Atlantic Cape meant the world to me,” Buccaneer alumnus Steve Nehmad said. “The baseball program changed my life for the better in so many ways. It enabled me to develop engagement at the college, which helped me in my studies.”
Over the past decade, the college and coaches have built a program that does more than just shape athletes into better ballplayers. It is the foundation on which these young adults have become engaged citizens who understand and value commitment, teamwork and dedication to each other, the college and the community.
“We’re not just coaching players, we’re helping transform lives,” said Head Coach Rodney Velardi. “We’ve worked to create a culture where these young athletes are engaged, thoughtful and dedicated. Of course, we want to win games, but there’s a bigger picture here. It’s such a privilege to be a part of that growth, we want to foster that.”
New baseball field planned at Atlantic Cape’s Mays Landing campus.
The “Bring it Home” campaign seeks to raise $1.5 million for the multi-phased project. The first phase is slated to begin this spring with the revitalization of the field to make it playable, which includes adding dugouts and a scoreboard. The cost for this phase is estimated at $400,000-$500,000.
Phase two will improve the field and fan experience by installing energy-efficient lighting and new seating by spring of 2023. Phase three will add the finishing touches with a field house and concession stand by 2025.
A revitalized, playable field on campus would enable the team to gather and practice more readily and add a dynamic element to student life on campus. Games in Atlantic City are mostly attended by family members, not students who would be more inclined to stop and watch a game or a practice before or after classes.
“Bringing Buccaneers baseball home would boost the culture and enrich the student experience we are working to create here at Atlantic Cape,” Atlantic Cape President Barbara Gaba said. “It’s different right now due to the pandemic, and we’re looking forward to when students can fully return safely to campus. We’ve made tremendous strides in campus improvements aimed at providing more for our students. Our new Student Center was the start in establishing a place where students can come together, and we want to continue to build on that, offering more ways to (safely) connect.”
In addition to building school spirit, an investment in the Bring it Home campaign would bolster enrollment in the college by helping attract top players to Atlantic Cape in an area where college baseball is highly competitive. According to the National Junior College Athletic Association, every college athlete brings an additional 1.5 students with them – more players equal more students and a more successful community college, the release stated.
“This is an investment that we know will yield great results in a variety of ways,” Co-Captain Thomas Heist said. “The financial benefits all make sense on paper, but the truly extraordinary investments are happening on the field with the athletes. The transformation of these students is something I don’t want to ever stop happening and by investing in this program, we know it will continue far into the future.”
“I see the current baseball program continuing to do the very same thing it did for me when I was a young man, and even to a greater extent – in changing lives in such a positive way,” Nehmad said. “We desperately need a new field to enable future generations of students to enjoy the same positive experience.”
Donations can be made by visiting atlantic.edu/bringithome or by texting BUCCSBASEBALL to 41444.
