by www.baseballeurope.com
September 3, 2010 marked a major point for the Serbian Baseball Development Association. This is the date in which the SBDA received its first major donation since its incorporation earlier this summer. A notable duo of Serbian-American brothers, Jeff and Sam Samardzija, sent in the $20,000 donation of goods from Under Armour. The donation included multiple sets of catcher’s gear, several sets of youth uniforms in various colors, coaching jackets and shirts as well as five boxes full of equipment bags for the kids.
The contribution came after the Samardzija brothers were introduced to the SBDA in early August. From the date of introduction to the organization both Jeff and Sam expressed their sincere interest in helping the SBDA in anyway possible. With Jeff being in season still (boasting an 11-3 record with over 105 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts for Triple-A Iowa) and it being Sam’s busy time of the year, won’t allow it? we never expected a donation this soon, especially not of this magnitude.
Aside from the material donation, Jeff and Sam’s athletic expertise and willingness to help further the mission of the SBDA is massive. Jeff was a standout two-sport athlete at Notre Dame in baseball and football. Having had the option of being drafted to either the NFL or MLB, Jeff chose baseball (fortunate for us!) and was drafted by none other than the Chicago Cubs. The elder Samardzija, Sam, was also a two-sport (baseball and football) star and became an MLB sports agent after Indiana University. Hopefully, having the Samardzija’s behind the SBDA will prove to help the growth of the SBDA supporter and donor base.
The donation made by the Samardzija’s in cooperation with Under Armour is a great launching point for the SBDA. This donation will help outfit the 6 current youth teams with proper gear to compete amongst each other as well as international competition. We hope that the organization and growth of youth baseball with the assistance of the SBDA will allow more children to take part of this great game. This goal will be realized much sooner with the continued help of great donors such as Jeff and Sam Samardzija.