Molloy opens field

Last week, Molloy College and Nassau County cut the ribbon on a new baseball diamond at Mitchel Field — the college’s latest sports-centric public/private partnership.

The field — a NCAA-regulation artificial turf baseball field — was built and paid for by the school. In exchange, Molloy entered into a 20-year license agreement with the county for use of the field, although others will be able to use it as well.

“This is a smart partnership that establishes a top baseball facility in Nassau County,” said Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano in a release. “Our local sports organizations and indeed, all the residents of Nassau County, are gaining a first-class field at no cost to the taxpayers.”

The agreement between the county and Molloy came after a public/private partnership the school had with the Village of Rockville Centre in which Molloy built a NCAA-regulation softball field at the Skelos Sports Complex. Molloy entered into a similar usage arrangement with the village to allow its softball team first access to the facility.

The new field at Mitchel Field features artificial turf, new dugouts and a brand new scoreboard. Molloy’s baseball team will have first access to the field during the baseball season, which runs from February (depending on the weather) through May. It will also be used by the school’s soccer team in the autumn.