JONESBORO, Ark. (02/16/09) ? Seven-time Major League Baseball
All-Star Will Clark entertained and signed autographs for a crowd in excess of
500 Monday night at the seventh-annual ASU Baseball Home Run Club Grand Slam
Banquet at the ASU Convocation Center.
The banquet included welcoming addresses from ASU Chancellor Dr.
Robert Potts, ASU Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee, and first-year ASU Head
Baseball Coach Tommy Raffo. Live and
silent auctions were also held to benefit the ASU baseball program and the 2009
Red Wolves baseball team was introduced to those in attendance.
“What a great turnout,” said ASU Head Coach Tommy Raffo. “We want our people to know our team ? to get
to know them personally. That's
important because if the team and community take ownership of each other, I
think the sky is the limit. Obviously we
need to perform well on the field, and a daily goal is to play championship
baseball, but at the same time, there is also a support system in place that
can help make this a championship program.”
A special presentation of the newly-created John Knight Baseball
Manager's Scholarship was also made to Jon Allen Garner, ASU baseball manager,
prior to Clark's address.
Following the program, Clark and the ASU team signed autographs
for fans attending the banquet.
“Will and I became friends at Mississippi State and I had the
opportunity to follow in his footsteps,” said Raffo. “We continued our friendship throughout the
years and I had the opportunity to ask him to come and help ASU and the program,
and he was ecstatic and said yes. I am
so glad that he spent the day here and spoke tonight at the banquet.”
The Red Wolves open the 2009 season Friday in Arlington, Texas at
the UT-Arlington/Hilton Invitational, taking on Texas State at 11:00 a.m. The Red Wolves will play host UTA at 3:00
p.m. Friday before facing Siena Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Arkansas State will wrap up the tournament
Sunday at 11:00 a.m. with a second matchup against Texas State.
The ASU home opener is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27 when the Red
Wolves open a three-game series with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.,
Saturday's game will get underway at 2:00 p.m. and the series will wrap up
Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
