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Our guest is Sandi Chalmers, co-owner of the Acadiana Cane Cutters Baseball team.
Sandi and her husband, Richard, acquired a franchise from the Texas Collegiate League in September 2010 to start the Acadiana Cane Cutters. Play officially began in the 2011 season.
The Acadiana Cane Cutters are the primary tenant of Fabacher Field where Lafayette, Broussard, and Youngsville meet. Before the first pitch was thrown, the Chalmers made many capital improvements to the entire facility, including adding over one thousand stadium seats and nearly two hundred premium seating locations, giving Fabacher Field its current 1,400-seat capacity.
The TCL is a collegiate, summer baseball league designed to give the top professional prospects a chance to play in a minor-league baseball atmosphere while maintaining their amateur status. College players who aspire to make it to the big leagues can showcase their skills in front of fans and baseball scouts.
The 2022 season was historic for the Acadiana Cane Cutters as they won their first Texas Collegiate League Championship.
The Texas Collegiate League opens play on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, as the Cane Cutters travel down I-10 to face off against the rival Baton Rouge Rougarou. The home opener for Acadiana Cane Cutters is Thursday, June 1st against the Victoria Generals, at Fabacher Field in Youngsville, with Cutter fans hoping for the same outcome that won the championship for the Cutters in 2022.
Sandi and Richard have a love of baseball that runs deep, and they would center their family vacations with their twin sons around watching Major League Baseball across the U. S. Their love for the game still runs true, and Sandi shared that their deepest desire is to be a part of the fabric of our community and to offer safe and affordable family fun. For Richard, it is about player development and helping the players’ game; Sandi reminisced about one of their players being drafted by the Astros. The Chalmers also offer internships with the Acadiana Cane Cutters which have afforded their young assistants opportunities and skills to move on to rewarding careers in baseball management and other industries.
For more information, visit https://www.canecuttersbaseball.com/ If you are interested in sponsoring a game or supporting the Acadiana Cane Cutters, call Richard Nunnally at (337)295-5677.