Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - All the details for Virginia Tech's 2019 Baseball Night in Blacksburg are now set. The 11th annual event is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 1 starting at 7 p.m. in Lane Stadium with current Major League Baseball analyst Billy Ripken booked as the night's special guest speaker.
Ripken currently serves as a radio host for XM Satellite Radio and a studio analyst for MLB Network. He played in the Major Leagues for 12 seasons, which included seven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and three years with the Texas Rangers and one season each with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. A career .247 hitter, he batted .308 in 58 games his rookie season and enjoyed his best season in 1990 with the Orioles, batting a team-best .291 in 129 games, with 118 hits, including 28 doubles and three home runs, 48 runs nad 38 RBI. Ripken recorded the first RBI in interleague history and has the 22nd-best all-time fielding percentage of major league second basemen at .987.
Ticketing information for the event includes a cost of $75 per person and $20 for Virginia Tech students or youth 13 and under, and can only be purchased in advance by completing the RSVP sheet on Page 2 of this pdf (CLICK HERE) or at the door the night of the event. The program includes a Bull & Bones catered dinner, drinks, silent auction and remarks from Ripken. For those interested in a more intimate experience that starts an hour earlier (6 p.m.), a private, VIP cocktail hour with Ripken is available that includes a photo opportunity. Access to this reception can be gained by purchasing a single ticket for $200, while the Home Run Package of eight tickets can be purchased for $1,500.
All proceeds of the auction and banquet go to Virginia Tech baseball and the Hokies' efforts to improve various aspects of their program. Recent efforts included the building of an indoor baseball facility, now the James C. Weaver Baseball Center, which is available for the team's use year-round, and enhancements to its home ballpark, which included the addition of artificial turf and expanded dugouts just prior to the start of the 2012 season, and the most recently completed construction project - the overhaul of English Field at Union Park.
Baseball Night in Blacksburg has featured a number of high-profile guests for its annual banquet, which began in 2008 with Baltimore Oriole legend and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. (Billy's older brother), while others have included Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, MLB pitchers Mike Williams and Billy Wagner, MLB managers Bobby Valentine and Charlie Manuel, MLB analyst Tim Kurkjian, Tech's Hall of Fame coach Chuck Hartman and former Tech players Franklin Stubbs, Brad Clontz - the team's only World Series alums - and Wyatt Toregas.
Tech's 11th Annual Baseball Night in Blacksburg
Featured Speaker: current Major League Baseball analyst Billy Ripken
Date: Friday, Feb. 1, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Lane Stadium, West Side Stadium Club
Tickets: Adult: $75; VT Student/Youth (13 and under): $20
Private reception: $200 per ticket (starts at 6 p.m.) - Group of eight tickets for $1,500
For more info: contact Corey Haines, P: (540) 231-5906; E: haines@vt.edu.