'This day will last for the rest of my life': ACM names field after Steve Bazarnic
Apr. 24—CUMBERLAND — Legendary Allegany College of Maryland head coach Steve Bazarnic may have formally retired in 2019, but his name will live on at ACM for the rest of his life, and long after.
The college where Bazarnic dedicated so much of his time to student-athletes returned the favor Sunday morning, dedicating the field to the longtime coach by naming it Steve Bazarnic Field.
The ceremony took place prior to the Trojans' doubleheader against Anne Arundel Community College and drew a large crowd of former players.
As generations of ballplayers paid their respects to their former manager, there was one constant phrase:
"You were the most influential coach I ever had," they said, often introducing children or grandchildren to the man that made them.
Bazarnic has never been one for the spotlight and always gave all the credit to his players, but Sunday was all about him, whether he wanted it to be or not.
"This is one of the nicest days of my life," Bazarnic said. "You just want to break down a little bit, but I'll go home tonight and think about all the wonderful people in the world. It's been a wonderful life. Hopefully we can go for another 50 years."
Bazarnic coached and taught at the junior college in Cumberland for 48 years, amassing a record of 1,469 wins to 617 losses (.704 winning percentage).
The Milton, Pennsylvania, native has the fourth most victories in the history of junior college baseball.
His Trojan teams made nine appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series, capturing district titles in 1984, '90-'91, '94-'97, 2006 and '09.
He is a member of three hall of fames, having been inducted into the Maryland Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame ('91), the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame ('96) and Region XX Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame ('00).
"This man has done more for this college than I'll ever do," said Kim Leonard, chair of college's Board of Trustees.
Bazarnic played baseball at Penn State, where the third baseman was named team Most Valuable Player as a senior after hitting .343.
Despite Bazarnic's garish numbers and laundry list of accolades, the ceremony Sunday focused on who Bazarnic was as a person.
"Coach made us feel like the center of the universe," said Tommie Reams, Allegany College of Maryland athletic director/men's basketball coach and a former player under Bazarnic. "His impact goes well beyond baseball."
During his illustrious career, Bazarnic produced 54 professional draft picks or free agent signings, six of which spent time in Major League Baseball: John Kruk, Stan Belinda, Steve Kline, Scott Sebol, Joe Beimel and Scott Patterson.
Bazarnic also produced more than a thousand professionals in other capacities, as was evident by the cast of former players that spoke Sunday.
Reams was a catcher for Bazarnic's 2009 team that won the Region title and advanced to the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. Reams took his former coach's teachings and now impacts the lives of student-athletes himself at ACM.
J.R. Perdew was a star pitcher on Bazarnic's first World Series team in 1984, and, as a coach, he helped six other teams advance to that same stage. A U.S. Marine veteran, Perdew went on to play at George Mason before becoming a pitching coordinator with the Chicago White Sox organization.
"I see him as the greatest coach ever, and he's a better person than he is a coach," said Perdew, an assistant athletic director at ACM.
Another former player in Jim Pyles said he owed his 26 1/2 year career in law enforcement to Bazarnic.
"This game we call life came full circle for me because of coach," said Pyles, a member of the college's Board of Trustees.
Three different players, three different successful career paths and one constant between them: Steve Bazarnic.
"They've impacted me too," Bazarnic said. "By doing what's right. It makes me feel good that hopefully I've played a little part of that."
Following the 25-minute ceremony, Bazarnic was presented with the last baseball and the last home plate used at "The Rock."
Allegany College also retired the No. 1 to honor him, and every jersey moving forward will be adorned with Bazarnic's autograph on one sleeve and the No. 1 on the other.
When Bazarnic advanced to his first World Series in 1984 with a doubleheader sweep of Brookdale Community College (New Jersey), he told former Times-News sports writer Steve Luse to "give all the credit to the players."
On Sunday, his players gave all the credit back.
"This day will last for the rest of my life," Bazarnic said.
Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.
