SAGA Community Focus and SAGA Realty & Construction along with local trade partners build batting cages at First Flight High School
Article written by Russ Lay
Suppose a few extra-base hits and long balls are added to First Flight High School’s varsity baseball team stats next season. If so, it might be due to the newly constructed batting cage facility donated to the school by an incredible team of local businesses organized by SAGA Community Focus along with SAGA Realty & Construction.
According to head baseball coach Steve Saunders and assistant coach Stuart Bell, the old cages had rusted away into nothingness.
Coach Saunders first connected with local contractor Pete Hunter, who was able to get a deal on wood pilings from Kempsville Building Materials. The previous batting cages were supported by metal, and rust was the primary culprit in the demise of the old cages. Once the pilings were obtained, Northeastern Marine put the pilings in at no charge to the school.
The original plan was simply to hang nets over the pilings and call it a day.
Once the pilings were in place, Saunders and Bell started brainstorming and decided adding a roof over the cages might be something to pursue.
As it happens, Bell, whose day job is the local Market President with First National Bank, found himself in a meeting with Prem and Sumit Gupta of SAGA Realty & Construction.
After the meeting was over, Bell broached the idea of a covered batting cage facility with the Gupta’s.
“They asked me if we knew where to start, and I told them ‘No, we’re flying blind here,’ Bell relates.
Right off the bat (pun intended), SAGA volunteered to draw the plans and engineer the project. With plans in hand, Saunders and Bell began talking about the costs with SAGA. It quickly became apparent that the costs would be north of $100,000, which was not in the budget.
Sumit Gupta met Coach Saunders on site the next day, and on-the-spot told the coach SAGA would do this project for the team and the community.
From there, SAGA was joined by seven other local companies (Rose Welding and Crane, NIET Contractors, Access Design & Print, Coastal Roofing & Siding, Davco Electric, Green Acres Land Development, and Exterior Construction), and working together; the batting cages became a reality.
Coach Saunders noted that a roof might seem like a small thing, but its addition to the facility is a significant plus. “There’s no rainouts, cancellations. There are no days we can’t go out and work on our skills. And with the width and the height as built, we not only can deploy two batting cages, we can also switch over to a pitching tunnel with our removable mounds, simulating bullpen sessions. So, hitting and pitching will both benefit,” he said.
Porter Braddy, a junior who is a threat wielding a bat or hurling from the mound saw advantages big and small. “Compared to what we had before, this is a huge improvement. Even in light rain we couldn’t hit because we can’t afford to get our baseballs wet. Now we can practice all of the time, and with the bullpen, our pitchers can also benefit from the extra sessions.”
“We’re thankful to be able give back to the community like this, and excited to see where this first-class resource leads the Nighthawks,” remarked SAGA CEO Sumit Gupta, “this season they were at an astounding 15-1 so the sky’s the limit!”
Porter Braddy Nighthawks Baseball #5 hurling from the mound in a 14-0 win
Batting cages from construction and ribbon cutting, to the first pitch by SAGA CEO Sumit Gupta
ABOUT SCF
Our Mission at SAGA Community Focus (SCF) is to enhance the Northeastern NC region, specifically the Outer Banks through community outreach, awareness programs, and charitable donations.
We aspire to collaborate and partner with existing charitable organizations in an effort to strengthen their current platform and help increase sustainability. We also identify needs of the local area that are currently not being adequately met and implement initiatives to fill in these gaps.
*Photo credit Wright / OBX Sport Shots and SAGA Community Focus