Garden City, N.Y. - A celebration 75 years in the making commenced Saturday night for those current and former individuals to suit up for the Adelphi University baseball team.

With a month until the curtain comes down on the 2024 Adelphi baseball season, the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom inside Adelphi's newly-renovated Ruth S. Harley University Center was the site for a three-hour-long reception to commemorate the program's 75-year anniversary.

"It was a wonderful celebration of the Adelphi baseball program, a program filled with so many success stories," said Adelphi Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Danny McCabe. "The alumni that returned represented every era; it was great to see them share memories of their time on campus."

The nearly 100 attendees -- spanning over seven decades of Adelphi baseball -- were greeted to a full buffet, open bar and dessert, and the opportunity to re-connect with former teammates on the grounds where they once played.

"It was a great evening of celebration for Adelphi baseball. The mix of alumni in attendance -- including All-Americans, College World Series participants and guys who played pro ball -- truly reflects our storied history," Adelphi Head Baseball Coach Bill Ianniciello reflected. "The successful lives of so many of them beyond baseball speaks to the caliber of people who have and continue to come through our program."

Since being adopted as a varsity sport at Adelphi in 1948, the Panthers have accrued over sixty winning seasons, with eighteen NCAA Tournament appearances and four NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championships. 

Over twenty former Panthers have earned election to the Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame in that time -- many of whom were in attendance for Saturday's festivities.

Among that group, Russ Huber '69, Nick Clark '99 and Bobby Lanigan '08 -- along with Gus Scacco '84, John Musmacker '96 and Kevin Hutzel '14 -- all spoke upon their own memories at Adelphi.

In reflection, Huber said: "It was a great experience. Adelphi was the perfect place for me. (Ronald) Davies was just beginning his career, so he was happy to take anybody and work with you. It's hard now to fathom that I last played here in 1969. I wish I could do it again."

A 2011 inductee to the Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame, Huber still dedicates his time all these years later toward the betterment of Adelphi Athletics, serving in roles with the Panther Club and the Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

The five distinguished alumni who followed spoke of what drew them to Adelphi, looked back at on-field success, and discussed how their personal experiences in college directly impacted their future.

Nick Clark: "I will never forget the memories and friendships that were formed over the four years that I played. Our teams always pushed ourselves to get stronger, be faster and gain that edge that would help us win. Our hard work paid off, and we were able to go to the College World Series three of my four years. Years later when I saw Coach Davies, I thanked him for changing my life."

Kevin Hutzel: "Coming to Adelphi as a transfer, I wasn't a five-star recruit or a guy that had a position handed to me. I had a lot of great teammates who helped me flourish in different ways. I had a great opportunity as a catcher to catch a lot of guys who went on to be successful professionally and in their own careers."

Bobby Lanigan: "The sign of a great program is some place that gets better and better over time. I was lucky to get drafted, but more proud to represent Division II. I loved being here. I am forever proud to be a Panther.'

John Musmacker: "Baseball is the best school you can go to for your life. The lessons you're going to get from baseball have truly shaped who I am today. I am thankful that I didn't have (the transfer portal) as an opportunity, because the relationships and experiences (at Adelphi) were rich then, and are even richer now."

Gus Scacco: "Over the past 75 years, our baseball program is a place to be proud, by having a history of excellence and outpacing expectations. We've won countless games, championships and individual awards, but more importantly, we've produced hundreds of young men who have gone on to have successful careers in baseball, and in life. And by playing baseball at Adelphi, you learned how to lead, how to work hard, how to be a better person, and how to bounce back from failure."