BATON ROUGE — What can you do to follow a legendary and innovative coach like Skip Bertman and the mark he made on LSU baseball? For starters, how about starting some traditions of your own. That’s just what first-year head baseball coach Smoke Laval and the Tiger Baseball Alumni Foundation have in mind.
The TBAF, a group made up of former Tiger players, coaches and support staff announced their plans for their 2002 Alumni Weekend, scheduled for Feb. 1-2, 2002. The weekend includes a couple of firsts, with a season kickoff party and the program’s first-ever Fan Fest.
The “2002 Baseball Bash” Season Kickoff Party will be held at the Argosy Atrium at 6:30 PM on Feb 1st. The evening will feature a cocktail hour, a silent auction, dinner, and entertainment. In addition to Smoke Laval and his 2002 Tigers, former Tiger players will be on hand and participating in the evening’s events. Like last year’s “Skipper’s Last Stand”, a sell-out crowd is expected for this limited seating engagement. Tickets are $40 per person or $400 for a reserved table seating 10.
A Golf Tournament will precede the party at The University Club on Feb 1st and, unlike in years past, is open to the public for $150 per golfer. Lunch will be served at 11AM with a shotgun start at noon.
The next morning, the gates of Alex Box Stadium will open at 9 a.m. for TigerFest, LSU’s first-ever baseball fan festival. It will feature interactive video games, Fantasy TV Play-By-Play, baseball museum displays, autograph booths with former Tiger greats, an OldTimer’s Game and will end at 2 p.m. with the LSU Diamond Legends Home Run Derby.
Immediately following TigerFest, the 2002 LSU Baseball team will line up against an All-Professional Alumni Team. Alumni team rosters of the past have included major leaguers Todd Walker, Ben McDonald, Russ Johnson, Armando Rios, Chad Ogea, Warren Morris, Paul Byrd and Mike Sirotka, as well as College World Series heroes Eddy Furniss and Brad Cresse. At the players’ request, all proceeds from the game will be donated to the newly renovated Academic Center for Student Athletes.
Tickets to any of the weekend events can be obtained by contacting the LSU Baseball office at 225-578-4148, or by mailing a check payable to TBAF to 8280 YMCA Plaza Drive, Bldg.7, Baton Rouge, LA 70810. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are also accepted. Golfers be sure to include your handicap.
For more information or if you or your company is interested in sponsoring this unique event, contact Pete Bush at 225-612-3820 for a Corporate Sponsorship Packet. For tickets to the Alumni Game, please contact the LSU ticket office at 225-578-2184.