Miami Baseball to Host FanFest and Team Banquet
Feb. 1, 2011
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami is set to hold the fifth annual Hurricanes Baseball FanFest and team banquet the weekend of Feb. 11-12. The banquet will be Friday, Feb. 11, followed by FanFest on Saturday, Feb. 12.
Under the direction of Jim Morris, set to begin his 18th season at the helm of the Hurricanes program, Miami will host the annual team banquet on Friday, Feb. 11, at Jungle Island. The guest speaker for the event will be former UM player and current member of the Houston Astros, Jason Michaels. Michaels played for UM from 1997-98.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be the speaker for this year’s banquet, especially with the guys that have been privileged to speak at this event in the past,” said Michaels. “I’m both honored and nervous at the same time. It means a lot that Coach [Jim] Morris thinks that highly of me to speak to the players, fans and supporters of this program.”
The event will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
The Hurricanes, ranked No. 18 in two preseason polls, will hold the fifth annual Hurricanes Baseball FanFest at Alex Rodriguez Park at 3 p.m. The event is free for the public, and all are encouraged to attend.
At 3 p.m., Select-a-Seat for the season will begin, mixed with face painting and balloons. Concessions for the Hurricane Headquarters will also open at that time, and the Hall of Fame will open with trophy and memorabilia with opportunities for fans to take photos in a Miami uniform.
Fans who have yet to purchase season tickets for the 2011 season or season ticket holders who would like to relocate their seats will have an opportunity to do so during a Select-A-Seat event throughout the FanFest. Available seats will be tagged and once seats are selected, fans can check-out at the stadium’s box office at the front entrance to the park.
An autograph session with the 2011 Hurricanes will kick off the event at approximately 3:15 p.m., while a season ticket holder batting practice is slated for 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. A Home Run Derby/Hitting Challenge involving a lucky fan will take place at 5:15 p.m.
A Home Run Derby between two former `Canes and two current members of the 2011 team will start at 5:40 p.m. The alumni game will begin approximately at 6 p.m.
Miami opens the 2011 season at home against Rutgers on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
For ticket information for the 2011 baseball season, call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit Hurricanesports.com.
For more information on the University of Miami baseball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes baseball program. To follow the UM Baseball Team via twitter, please navigate to Twitter.com/CanesBaseball.
You can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports. You can also become a fan of the ‘Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes.
