Ithaca Baseball Plays Charity Series Against Cortland

By Patrick Bohn, October 10, 2024

Fall ball provides teams an opportunity to give back.

Camden Laney and his fellow Bombers took on Cortland in three six-inning exhibition games.

(Photo by Darl Zehr Photography)

Usually, in the fall, Ithaca and Cortland fans are counting the days until the annual Cortaca Jug game. But the first Cortaca action of 2024 took place not on the gridiron, but the baseball diamond in Cortland, where the Bombers and Red Dragons renewed their own storied rivalry with three six-inning exhibition games.

But the trio of tilts were more than just an opportunity for the two squads to shake off the off-season cobwebs. The games doubled as a fundraiser for Racker, a non-profit organization with branches in both Cortland and Ithaca that provides support services for more than 3,500 individuals with disabilities and their families across three counties.

The contest was the brainchild of Cortland head coach Joe Brown ’90, who was a four-year member of the Bombers baseball team and played on the school’s 1988 national championship squad.

“One of the major focuses of our program is supporting others in the community, and we saw this as a perfect opportunity to do so.”

David Valesente, Ithaca College head baseball coach

“Our team has been engaged with Racker for several years now,” Brown said. “We have players who do work with the organization as students, and they’ve loved it. So, when I was thinking about ideas for our fall exhibition games, I realized a fundraiser would be a great idea.”

The choice of opponent was obvious to Brown. “I have never forgotten my time at IC,” he said. “Those four years were some of the best of my life.”

The first pitch was thrown out by Theo, a student in Racker's Cortland preschool.

“When Joe reached out, I was excited,” said Bombers head coach David Valesente. “One of the major focuses of our program is supporting others in the community, and we saw this as a perfect opportunity to do so.”

The schools connected with Racker, and the organization was thrilled at the opportunity to be involved. “We were immediately on board with this idea,” said Bob Brazill, director of community relations at Racker. “We especially loved the idea of the schools using the power of the Cortaca name to help drum up more publicity for the game.”

Cortaca-themed shirts were printed up and available for purchase, and those proceeds, as well as money from the ticket sales, were all donated to Racker.

And while the games were exhibitions, the rivalry was still on full display during the contests, with Cortland taking two of the three games. But the day was about more than just sports.

“Being a part of this event was really special for myself and my players,” Valesente said. “Any time we have a chance to give back to others, we’re going to do it. This was a fun and memorable experience.”