The Tribune

THE partnerships continue to roll in for the Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA) ahead of the sixth Caribbean Baseball Cup set for October 23-28 at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.

The BBA announced their partnership with the Breezes resort which will serve as the athletes’ village for the teams participating in the six-day tourney. The announcement was made yesterday at the resort.

Hedda Smith, sales manager at Superclubs Breezes Resort & Spa, was very pleased to hop on board as a sponsor for the sixth Caribbean Baseball Cup.

“Breezes is happy to be a sponsor of this baseball event. We have been officially named as the athletes’ village. We are happy to be a part of bringing this event to Nassau. We have somewhat been known for sporting events so a lot of the sports-related teams are usually here at the hotel because we have an all-inclusive experience which is good for athletes,” she said.

The number 47 ranked Bahamas will host five visiting countries at the regional baseball event at the end of this month.

The visiting teams will include no.8 ranked Cuba, no.12 ranked Dominican Republic, no.28 ranked Curaçao, no. 65 ranked US Virgin Islands, and Saint Maarten (not ranked).

Smith said the partnership is particularly beneficial at this time as it will help to boost the resort’s occupancy during the slow season.

“We are always very happy to get sporting events because September and October are typically our slower months for the hotels. This particular event is bringing 105 rooms to the hotel which is good for our occupancy so we are very happy about that,” she said. Athletes will have an all-inclusive experience that involves, but is not limited to, access to the beach throughout the day and the choice of international and local cuisines around the clock.

The BBA was proud to partner with Breezes to facilitate their second hosting of the event on home soil.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) has also offered its support to this event and to the growth of baseball both locally and on the international scene. Kelsie Johnson-Sills, the Acting Director of Sports at MOYSC, said the ministry supports this venture and its contribution to the sports tourism brand.

“The Ministry is pleased to partner with the BBA and with all the federations that come under that banner. We stand with the baseball federation that this is a cutting edge showcasing all Bahamian talent. We know that they are improving the brand of baseball and the sports tourism brand. This sixth hosting of the event is very important to The Bahamas and it is why we made sure we financially backed the BBA and they have our full support,” she said

She added that there were discussions with Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr’s New York Yankees with regards to a potential partnership over the weekend.

“Jazz Chisholm also sends his regards in terms of the sport and all the players who will be showcasing and participating for The Bahamas…It is now up to team Bahamas and the entire country to support them because this is the qualifiers,” she said. 

Team Bahamas will compete in a featured game every night at 7pm starting on October 23. The first game will be played against the US Virgin Islands followed by matchups against St Maarten, Curaçao, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Medal games take place on the final day of competition.

Moses Johnson, general manager of the National Sports Authority, assured the public that the Andre Rodgers Baseball facility will be ready for the event.

“We want to congratulate the BBA on this accomplishment in hosting the Caribbean Baseball Cup 2024. This is a very important event for the BBA and the NSA is pleased to partner with the BBA in terms of providing the facilities and being the ticketing partner for this event…We will provide a clean and pristine Andre Rodgers facility for our patrons to come into and enjoy the festivities of this event.

“We have a few more infrastructural things that we hope to have completed in the next few weeks but other than that we are ready to go. The staff is excited, general management is excited and we are pleased to be partnering with the BBA for this event,” he said.

The Bahamas will look to once again climb the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings at this event.

The Caribbean Baseball Cup is also supported by Valor Security and will be broadcasted via RiLive on pay per view.

Event tickets can be purchased via https://nsa-bahamas.com.