Tickets On Sale Now for College Baseball’s Night of Champions

June 22, 2011

Tickets for the culminating event of the college baseball season are now on sale. On July 3rd in Lubbock, Texas, the sixth annual College Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be combined with the presentation of the College Baseball Awards to create College Baseball’s Night of Champions.

Clemson Tiger, Bill Wilhelm is among the names of those to be inducted. He led the team from 1958 to 1993, compiling a 1,161-536-10 career record. At the time of his retirement, he was the fifth winningest coach in college baseball history. He went 36 consecutive seasons without a losing record. During his career, Wilhelm’s teams had five 50-win seasons, 11 ACC Championships, 16 Top 25 seasons and six trips to the College World Series. He also coached 20 All-Americans and 88 first-team All-ACC players. He saw 27 of his players go on to play Major League baseball and 100 former players signed professional baseball contracts.

Although the induction and awards show have been separate events in the past, the decision was made to combine the festivities this year. Mike Gustafson, executive director of the College Baseball Foundation, said the greats of college baseball will be inducted into the Hall of Fame and the top players from the 2011 season will be honored, creating a truly unique baseball experience.

“Bringing the past and present together is part of what will make the night amazing,” he emphasized. “It will be special to see them together, being recognized on the same night. It’s also better because everyone who is involved is here at the same time for the same event.”

Tickets are only $10 for adults and $5 for those under 18-years-old, and can be purchased by contacting Gustafson at 806-749-2233. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

A few of the awards to be presented are: the Brooks Wallace award, honoring the nation’s most outstanding shortstop; the John Olerud Award, recognizing the nation’s top two-way player; and the 25th annual Dick Howser Trophy, college baseball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Gustafson said these awards are usually the first of many for these players. Award-winners in past years include Cal State Fullerton catcher Kurt Suzuki and San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

In addition to the show, a VIP cocktail reception and dinner will be offered in the Banquet Hall of the Civic Center beginning at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. Tickets can be purchased individually or by tables of eight, also by contacting the HOF office.

Go to www.collegebaseballfoundation.org to learn more about the College Baseball Foundation, College Baseball Hall of Fame, and College Baseball Awards.