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Baseball

Hokies announce 2020 Baseball Night in Blacksburg event

BLACKSBURG - All the details for Virginia Tech's 2020 Baseball Night in Blacksburg are now set. The 12th annual event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1 starting at 7 p.m. in Lane Stadium with current Major League Baseball analyst Ken Rosenthal booked as the night's special guest speaker.

Rosenthal is a sportswriter and reporter, serving as a field reporter for Fox Major League Baseball and in-studio reporter for the MLB Network. Since August 2017, he's been a senior baseball writer for The Athletic. In the past, Rosenthal contributed to Sports Illustrated (1990-00), providing weekly notes during baseball season, while working for the Baltimore Sun (1987-00), then spent five years at The Sporting News before joining Fox Sports in 2005. He regularly wears a bow tie when appearing on Fox Sports telecasts in support of various charitable organizations. In 2015 and 2016, Rosenthal won the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Reporter for his work with Fox Sports and MLB Network.

Ticketing information for the event includes a cost of $75 per person, $50 for a baseball alumni and $20 for Virginia Tech students or youth 13 and under. Purchase the tickets in advance on the following link: Baseball Night Tickets. The program includes a Mission BBQ catered dinner, drinks, a silent auction, a chance to meet the 2020 Hokies and to hear remarks from Rosenthal along with Tech head coach John Szefc. For those interested in a more intimate experience that starts an hour earlier (6 p.m.), a private, VIP cocktail hour with Rosenthal 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 Atlantic Union Bank 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., while his brother Billy Ripken was the the guest last year. Other guests 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 12th Annual Baseball Night in Blacksburg (FLYER - pdf)
Featured Speaker
: current Major League Baseball analyst Ken Rosenthal
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: President's Suite of Lane Stadium
Tickets: Adult: $75; Baseball Alumni: $50; VT Student/Youth (13 and under): $20
     Private reception: $200 per ticket (starts at 6 p.m.) - Group of eight tickets for $1,500
     Online purchase: CLICK HERE
For more info: contact Corey Haines, P: (540) 231-5906; E: haines@vt.edu.