Feb. 5, 2007

Washington, D.C. - The Hoya Diamond Club, Georgetown Baseball's fundraising and support club, sponsored its third annual First Pitch Dinner Saturday night, February 3, 2007 at the Leavey Center on the campus of Georgetown University. Complete with silent auction and famous guest speakers, the fundraising dinner for Georgetown Baseball was once again a success.

President of the Diamond Club Tom Elliott (C'71, L'74) acted as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and kept the program running smoothly. After being introduced by Elliott, Rev. William J. McFadden, S.J. gave the invocation for the dinner. Head coach Pete Wilk stepped to the podium next and through the hoots and hollers of his players delivered an inspiring speech about where Georgetown Baseball has been -- thanking those alums in attendance for their dedication to the program -- and how bright the future is for the program.

Before the keynote speakers addressed the crowd, Elliott announced the closing of the silent auction that had begun earlier in the week via internet and continued through the first part of the dinner. Some great prizes were won (including a game-used third base from Game 4 of the 2006 World Series, as well as tickets to games at Yankee Stadium), and the Diamond Club raised a total of $19,340 for Georgetown Baseball from the auction.

San Diego Padres pitcher and Princeton graduate Chris Young spoke about the importance of his education and balancing athletics with school and a social life. Young proved to be a terrific speaker and an incredibly kind and down-to-earth person, the kind of man with whom Georgetown Baseball hopes to continue a strong relationship.

Dale Petroskey, President of the Baseball Hall of Fame, came up next to introduce the evening's highlight, Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. Bench spoke smoothly about his childhood and his climb to professional baseball and MVP and Hall of Fame success. His message was clear: doing things the right way is the only way to go through life, as your actions reflect not only on you, but on those who count on you.

Rev. McFadden gave the benediction at the end of the evening, before those individuals who had made bids on auction items retreated to the back of the room to find out if they had won. The event was a hit, so to speak, and the Diamond Club looks forward to keeping this tradition going for years to come.

Diamond Club First Pitch Dinner Photo Gallery