METAIRIE, La. — Under blue skies and bright sunshine on Thursday morning, the New Orleans Zephyrs baseball club announced details for the first Wally Pontiff Jr. Baseball Classic.
The game, which matches LSU of the Southeastern Conference and Southeastern Louisiana of the Southland Conference, will take place on Wednesday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Zephyr Field in Metairie.
“This is not only a special day for the Zephyrs, but also for Southeastern, LSU and Wally Pontiff,” said Zephyrs’ Vice-President and General Manager Dan Rajkowski. “I see this as a great thing for Louisiana, our region, the Zephyrs, and the two colleges participating in this event.”
Tickets for the game are $15, and all seating is reserved. Tickets are already on sale at the Southeastern athletic ticket office, located at Gate 3 of the University Center. Tickets will go on sale Friday at the Zephyr Field box office and at any Ticketmaster locations.
The LSU ticket office will begin selling tickets for the game on Saturday, January 31, the date when the Tigers’ ticket office will begin selling single- game tickets.
Pontiff, who was a two-time all-SEC selection at LSU, died unexpectedly on July 24, 2002 at 21. Pontiff started for the Tigers from 2000 through 2002 and was the Most Valuable Player of the 2000 SEC Tournament and helped the Tigers win the 2000 national championship.
Pontiff was also a two-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was a member of the 2002 District VI all-academic baseball team with a 3.25 GPA in biological sciences.
“Wally was the epitome of the student-athlete,” LSU assistant coach Turtle Thomas said. “On and off the field, he was the most respected guy and the most liked guy by our teammates.
“He meant so much to us as a baseball player, and he continues to mean so much to our program today.”
At the time of his death, Pontiff was deciding whether to sign with the Oakland Athletics, who selected him in the 21st round of the 2002 major league draft, or return to LSU for his senior season.
The game was originally scheduled to be played in Hammond, but Lions coach Dan Canevari and Director of Athletics Frank Pergolizzi agreed to move the game to the Triple-A park to attract a larger crowd and help the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation.
“This would not have become a game if not for Frank Pergolizzi and Dan Canevari giving us their home game,” said Pontiff’s father, Wally Pontiff Sr. “Without those guys making it possible, this game would never have happened.”
Canevari, who is entering his second season at Southeastern, was an assistant coach at LSU from 1991-2002, where he was part of all five of the Tigers’ national championship teams.
“When you coach, you have an opportunity to touch some lives, and that is the reason why most people coach, especially the great ones,” Canevari said.
“Once in a while, you coach a player and meet a family that changes your life, and the Wally Pontiff family changed my life forever.”
That relationship was one of the main reasons why Canevari met with the Pontiff family to set up this game.
“There was never a doubt in my mind that we would have this game,” Canevari said. “We wanted to do this for the foundation and for Wally.”
Canevari also noted the honor of participating in the first Wally Pontiff Jr. Baseball Classic.
“To be the first participant and get this thing off the ground, which will grow and grow and be a great event in New Orleans, what a tremendous honor it is,” Canevari said. “It’s a honor for my family and for me as a head coach to represent Southeastern and our athletic department.
“I hope the community comes out and supports it, because it’s a great game and for a great cause.”
Thomas echoed Canevari’s sentiments on the game.
“LSU is very proud and honored to be part of this first Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation game,” Thomas said. “Wally was one of the bright lights in the long and illustrious history of LSU baseball.”
The game will mark Southeastern’s first visit to Zephyr Field since winning three games at the park to open the 1998 season. LSU has played at least one game in the park each season since 1998, posting a 9-7 overall mark.
Southeastern and LSU also have tentative plans to play in 2005 at Zephyr Field.
The Lions and the Tigers will also meet in a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge March 12-14.
Southeastern opens its 2004 season on February 20 versus Indiana at Alumni Field in Hammond. LSU begins its 2004 campaign at Central Florida on February 13 before its home opener on February 17 with Louisiana-Monroe.
WALLY PONTIFF JR. BASEBALL CLASSIC TICKET OUTLETS ALL TICKETS $15 RESERVED SEATING
Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office
(located at Gate 3 of University Center) (985) 549-5466 in Hammond; (866) 546-6849 outside Tangipahoa Parish Internet: www.lionsports.net
Zephyr Field Ticket Office
(6000 Airline Dr., Metairie) (504) 734-5155; Internet: www.zephyrsbaseball.com
Ticketmaster
(504) 522-5555 in New Orleans; (800) 488-5252 outside New Orleans Internet: www.ticketmaster.com