Off the field with Shelter Island Bucks, on the job and out in the community

The Shelter Island Bucks, one of six teams in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League (HCBL), draw talented collegiate athletes to the Island from all across the country. The games are competitive, the action runs six days a week through June and July, and the season ends with a championship at the end of July to determine a league champion. Teams are filled with a mix of collegiate athletes and future prospects, and a number of former HCBL players have made it to the big leagues.

But baseball is only half the equation. Off the field, these players spend their summers immersing themselves in Island life: working local jobs, connecting with host families, and participating in community service.

Aside from Mondays and Sundays, Bucks players spend five mornings each week working local jobs before heading to Fiske Field each afternoon. This week, The Reporter went around the Island to see what some of this year’s team is doing off the field.

First, we met with the team’s center fielder, JD Stemhagen (Manhattan University), who has spent the last two summers playing for the Bucks. Stemhagen is the only third-year player on the roster. “I think what makes Shelter Island so special is the people,” Stemhagen said.

Stemhagen stays with family on the North Fork during the summer, making the daily ferry commute — a small inconvenience that also eases the team’s ongoing search for player housing. “I’ll take the ferry every day, and I’m always meeting random people who will see my Bucks shirt and love to talk to me about the team,” he explained.

Despite living off the Island, Stemhagen still spends his summer working on the Island. “I’m working for Penelope Moore at Saunders Real Estate in the Heights,” Stemhagen explained. He said he helps with the day-to-day business in any way he can. “It’s definitely a career I have some interest in, so it’s great to learn about the business,” Stemhagen added.

Next, we found Evan Clark (University of New Haven) and Xavier Hall (Emerson College) working what may be the quintessential Shelter Island summer job: ferry deckhands. “It definitely was not the summer job I expected,” said Hall, who works with his teammate on the South Ferry.

So how did they end up at the South Ferry? It was none other than Father Peter DeSanctis who recommended the pair seek out a job there. “The South Ferry does a ton of community work and gives back a lot. They told us we’d have to help out with that stuff too, which obviously we’re down for,” said Clark.

On a daily basis, the two teammates spend their mornings directing cars, docking the boat, and assisting with ferry operations before taking off in the afternoon to play that day’s game.

Finally, we made our way up to Goat Hill, where Bucks infielder Tucker DeWolf (Wesleyan University) works in the pro shop.

DeWolf spends his mornings assisting golfers, washing and maintaining golf carts, and picking the driving range. “It’s the same people in and out of the course every day. It’s been awesome getting to know everyone up here, and the golfers are always asking about how I’m doing and how the Bucks are doing,” he said.

DeWolf also pointed to the relationships he’s built away from the field. “It’s a super tight-knit place, and the support we get is awesome. My host family, Jay and Judy Card, are also really incredible. They help me out in a lot of ways, and I am super grateful,” he explained.

At the Shelter Island History Museum, Bucks help out directing parking on Saturday mornings for the Havens Farmers Market.

“Getting us out in the community and promoting the games and the team,” is one of the reasons the housing format works so well, General Manager Brian Cass told The Reporter later that day. While the team is obviously here to play baseball, and Cass said winning a championship is something the team is set on, building those relationships off the field remains just as important.

Host families not only provide a bed for the players, but also a washer and dryer, a shared cooking area, and other necessities, making it no small commitment. “It really takes a special kind of person to go and do that,” Cass admitted.

However, Cass said just putting the team together each season has become increasingly difficult. Not because there’s a lack of player interest, but because finding homes for the players becomes more complicated each season. “It’s getting harder and harder,” Cass said.

Though the team has been flexible in recent years, some players are currently staying in homes that don’t have all of those amenities, while other host families have stepped up to share their washer and dryer or cooking facilities to make it work. Cass said the players had housing for June, but for July, three players still do not have homes arranged.

For those interested in hosting a player for the month of July, reach out to Cass at 631-445-0084 or by email at [email protected]. Assistant General Manager Frank Vecchio can be reached at 516-317-8687 or [email protected], and David Austin can be reached at 415-613-1991 or [email protected].