The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

With the completion of the new Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium, the Bahamas Baseball Federation will not only get to host the fourth annual Caribbean Baseball Cup next month, but will become the base for any and all future COCABE baseball tournaments.

The BBA, headed by Sam Rodgers, will host the Caribbean Baseball Cup December 4-11 with teams coming in from the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, defending champion Curacao and Haiti. Yesterday, the BBA announced its management team for Team Bahamas.

Geron Sands, a former national team player who helped the Bahamas to defeat Cuba 2-1 at the World University Games in 2006 and who serves as the co-founder of I-Elite Baseball, will serve as the head coach and third base coach. Albert Cartwright, a former minor league baseball player, co-founder of I-Elite and the first base coach for Team Great Britain, will be the bench coach.

Dominique Collie, a former NAIA College standout and former minor league player with the Diamondbacks, will be the first base coach.

Trae Sweeting, former division one college standout, former national team player who helped the Bahamas to defeat Chinese Tapia at the World Games in Canada and co-founder of LDK – Learn Develop Kaizen – will be the outfield coach.

Donovan Cox, a former national team player and head coach of the Bahamas College team that participated in the Charles Johnson Collegiate Summer League, will be the bull pen coach. Avard Hart, a former national team player, will serve as the team’s general manager.

BBA secretary general Teddy Sweeting, who is the chairman of the Local Organising Committee, said the members of Team Bahamas will be announced in the next few days.

But he noted that they are excited about the progress being made towards the completion of the stadium heading into the tournament.

“I think December will be a very exciting month for baseball,” Sweeting said. “We are hosting the Caribbean Baseball Cup in the first time in the history of this country we will be hosting a qualifier for the CAC Games. So we are looking forward to that.

“It’s an exciting time for us. We finally realise how critical it is for us to come together with everybody on board. We’re heading into the direction that we should have been in about two years ago. We are on the right track and we have a lot of things to do.”

Addressed to BBA president Sam Rodgers, who also serves as the vice president of COCABE, the letter signed by George R. de Lira and secretary general Manuel Fries, reads as follows: “After a sporting greeting of affection and respect, we write this communication thanking the organising committee of the 4th Caribbean Baseball Cup for the hospitality given to the COCABE executives from September 28 to October 3.

“COCABE through this letter wants to inform you that the board of executives of COCABE has made the decision to choose the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium as its main base to organise future COCABE baseball tournaments on the island of Nassau, Bahamas.

“We thank the BBA for their willingness to share the office at Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium with COCABE.

“COCABE will have its main office in the same stadium together with the BBA.

“With nothing more to add, we say goodbye with a sports greeting.”

Sweeting said the completion of the stadium is coming in the right time.

“We can now see the relevance for the purpose for the completion of the stadium,” he said. “We have already agreed to the hosting of an 18 youth qualifier in October 2023, so that is our next item on the drawing board. “So we’re really excited because baseball is heading in the right direction and we’re moving very quickly. Right after that, we will have the home run derby and so we will have a full month of activities for baseball in December.” The stadium, which has been under construction for the past few years, is expected to be completed by the end of November.