'Nothing but fun': Bucs take part in Miracle League Fantasy Camp
Alex Stumpf
@AlexJStumpfSARASOTA, Fla. -- Nick Matthews has something in common with pitchers like David Bednar, Jared Jones and Colin Holderman. They¡¯ve all been recognized for throwing a pitch at PNC Park.
In 2023, the Pirates welcomed Miracle League of Manasota County athletes to PNC Park to be recognized on the field, and Matthews was picked to throw the first pitch. On their trip back home, Nick and his father, Darren, were recognized at Pittsburgh International Airport for that first-pitch strike.
¡°There were 300 special needs athletes, and he was the one who was picked to throw out the first pitch,¡± Darren Matthews said. ¡°It was pretty special.¡±
On Wednesday, Matthews shared a baseball field with Bednar, Jones, Holderman and more Pirates players and coaches as part of the Pirates¡¯ Miracle League Fantasy Camp. The event provides area youth of all abilities a chance to play baseball with their friends, as well as Pirates players and coaches.
¡°My favorite part is running the bases,¡± Matthews said, beaming.
Around 20 Pirates (as well as two racing Pierogies and one Pirate Parrot) took part in the event, with Miracle League athletes divided into four groups to take part in different stations. Athletes ran the bases, hit off a tee, fielded grounders and threw into a pitching net, with Pirates players and volunteer buddies there to play ball.
"This is so much fun out here, it's nothing but love,¡± said Chris Cushman, the executive director of the Miracle League of Manasota. ¡°These kids, when they're out in public, they're different. But when they get in between this fence, we're in their world. And it's nothing but fun."
In addition to getting to run around the field, athletes got a custom Pirates jersey and a goodie bag for participating. Pirates Charities made a $50,000 donation to resurface the field as well, ensuring that this event will continue for years to come.
¡°It¡¯s really fun,¡± Jack Suwinski, who has attended multiple times, said. ¡°It¡¯s just as good for us as it is for the athletes we get to come out here with.¡±
The Pirates had a healthy showing of participants taking part, ranging from prospects like Bubba Chandler (Pirates¡¯ No. 1 in 2024), Konnor Griffin (team¡¯s No. 2) and Termarr Johnson (team¡¯s No. 3), to players who have been here for years -- like Suwinski and Henry Davis -- and somewhat newcomers to the organization, like Spencer Horwitz, Nick Yorke, Billy Cook and Peter Strzelecki, to name a few.
"It starts with some of the veterans who come here for years and years, like Bednar, Holderman and Suwinski, and taking the younger guys under their wing and saying, 'this is what we do when we're down here,'" said Jacque Skowvron Stevenson, the executive director of Pirates Charities and community engagement.
¡°Our players are exceptional in that regard,¡± Pirates president Travis Williams said. ¡°They really care about the communities within which they live, work and play. This is no exception.¡±
Mother Nature wasn¡¯t as cooperative as years past, raining partway through the event, but athletes still got the chance to play and get autographs from their favorite players. That alone makes it a success.
"I think all the kids had fun, and I think one of the things I've truly learned over the course of 15 years working with the Miracle League, that you really get a chance to focus on the positive,¡± Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said. ¡°They're facing challenges all the time, and more than most of us, they overcome them so effectively. So, a little bit of rain, we still brought Major League players out. We still brought Pirate Parrot out. We still went out and said thank you to the buddies. So yeah, it was a wonderful day."