BATON ROUGE — For the first time, the YMCA and the Tiger Baseball Alumni Foundation are teaming to host “Opening Day 2003” to kick off the baseball season in Louisiana. The YMCA Baton Rouge Kids’ Baseball Clinic will be held on Saturday, February 1, at 9 a.m. in Alex Box Stadium.
The clinic will be followed by autograph opportunities, a Home Run Derby conducted by professional players and the annual LSU Alumni Game, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
The Alumni Game matches the 2003 LSU squad against a team of former Tiger players who are currently active in professional baseball. Former players scheduled to participate in the Alumni Game include pitcher Paul Byrd of the Atlanta Braves and infielder Russ Johnson of the New York Mets.
The Alumni weekend festivities begin with a golf tournament on Friday, Jan. 31, at the University Club. The tournament is open to the public for $175 per golfer.
The golf tournament is followed by the “Baseball Bash” season kickoff party, which will be held at the Argosy Atrium at 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature a cocktail hour, a silent auction, dinner and entertainment. LSU head coach Smoke Laval and former Tiger players will participate in the evening’s events. Tickets to the Baseball Bash are $50 per person or $500 for a reserved table seating ten guests.
The gates of Alex Box Stadium will open at 9 a.m. on Feb. 1 for the YMCA Baton Rouge Kids’ Baseball Clinic. The free clinic will feature the LSU Alumni team of professional players and the 2003 LSU squad. Also participating are coach Roger Cador and the Southern Jaguars, and coach Dan Canevari and the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.
In addition, a host of current and former professional players from Louisiana will be on hand to serve as instructors, including former Woodlawn High star Chad Durbin and Covington native Blake Stein of the Kansas City Royals, and Lake Charles native Joe Lawrence and Doug Creek of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tickets to the Feb. 1 Alumni Game may be purchased in the LSU Athletic Ticket Office by calling 225-578-2184.
Tickets to any of the other Alumni 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 accepted. Golfers should include their handicap.
For more information, including sponsorship opportunities for local businesses, contact Pete Bush at 225-612-3820 for a corporate sponsorship packet.