BATON ROUGE — Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry will be the featured speaker for LSU’s First Pitch Banquet on Tuesday, February 10 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The event, which begins with a 6 p.m. social hour, will signal the start of the 2009 baseball season and will honor LSU’s 2000 national championship team.
Tickets are $75 each or $650 for a table of nine, and they may be purchased by contacting the LSU Baseball office at 225.578.4148.
Hendry, a former head coach at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., has worked as the Cubs general manager since July 2002. The Cubs posted a 97-64 record in 2008, the best mark in the National League.
Hendry and LSU coach Paul Mainieri are longtime friends who once worked together as coaches at Columbus High School in Miami.
“We are extremely honored that Jim Hendry will join us for the First Pitch Banquet,” Mainieri said. “No Major League executive did a better job than Jim did last season, and during his tenure, the Cubs have won an unprecedented three division titles. He’s a big supporter of college baseball, he knows what it takes to win, and I’m looking forward to him sharing his message with our players and fans.”
Two of Hendry’s players with the Cubs ? infielders Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot ? were members of the 2000 national championship squad that will be saluted at the banquet.
“It will be a great night for the Tigers and the Cubs to bond,” Mainieri said. “We’re very excited about honoring the 2000 LSU team, especially with the connection Jim Hendry has with Ryan and Mike.”
The 2009 Tigers, who will be introduced at the banquet, open the season on Friday, February 20 when they play host to Villanova at 7 p.m. in the New Alex Box Stadium.