Jan. 5, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Hoyas Unlimited and the Diamond Club, the Georgetown Baseball support club, has announced this year's speakers for the 3rd annual Diamond Club First Pitch Dinner. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench will be this year's keynote speaker, and will be joined by San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young. In addition, the fundraising dinner will feature a silent auction that will include vacation getaways and Major League Baseball tickets. The First Pitch Dinner will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, 2007 in the Leavey Center Ballroom on the campus of Georgetown University. All proceeds directly benefit Georgetown Baseball.

As one of the most impressive defensive catchers in the history of the game, Johnny Bench was also considered to be an outstanding hitter. A durable catcher, noted for his excellent baseball intelligence, Bench won 10 Gold Glove awards, two Most Valuable Player awards, and the Rookie of the Year Award during his 17-year National League career. A skilled hitter, the 14-time All-Star selection belted 389 home runs and led the league in RBI three times as a leader of the Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s. He played for the Reds from 1967-1983, appearing in four World Series. Bench is also an active advocate for the American Cancer Society, the Kidney Foundation and the American Lung Association, and has made countless television appearances as both a corporate spokesperson and a baseball commentator.

Chris Young, a standout pitcher and 2002 graduate of Princeton University, was first drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in June of 2000. He made his major league debut on August 24, 2004 for the Texas Rangers. Young came to the Padres in a trade with the Rangers on Jan. 4, 2006, and went 6-0 on the road with a National League-best 2.41 ERA for San Diego. Young had three brushes with no-hitters in 2006. On May 30, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning vs. Colorado. In his next start, he took a no-hitter into the sixth at Pittsburgh, and he nearly no-hit the Pirates again on Sept. 22, when he held them hitless through 8 1/3 innings.

The Georgetown baseball team is coming off a strong 2006, which saw them win 10 BIG EAST Conference games, the most league wins since 1986 for the Hoyas. They finished with a record of 24-32 overall, 10-17 in conference play. The Hoyas will open the 2006 campaign on February 13 at Shirley Povich Field when they take on George Washington.

For more information on the First Pitch Dinner, please contact Hoyas Unlimited at 202-687-7159.