STATE OF THE PACK LIVE!

It’s been a few weeks since we conducted our State of the Pack Live! zoom event, but we were excited about how it turned out and the participation we received.  Most of the feedback has been extremely positive, so we’ve been pleased to hear that many of our fans enjoyed and appreciated it.  I think it was also an example of our ongoing commitment to provide as much communication with our fan base and donors as possible.  Our staff did a great job putting it together with the various video elements and fan-engagement aspects, and it was obviously fantastic to have A-State Athletics Hall of Honor member and NFL Saints All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis speak as well.

We were able to deliver a lot of good messages, and a segment-by-segment replay is available if you missed it or would just like to watch it again.  I also had the opportunity to revisit some of the State of the Pack Live! topics this week during an interview on The Drive with Cade Carlton that can be heard by clicking here.

GRAND SLAM BANQUET

It was great to see a record crowd of over 700 earlier this week at our annual Grand Slam Banquet, a truly first-class event introducing our 2023 Red Wolves and featuring guest speaker Patrick Renna, who played Hamilton “Ham” Porter in the 1993 film The Sandlot.  We appreciate Patrick for not only being part of our event, but also meeting with our baseball team earlier in the day.

Our annual Grand Slam Banquet wouldn’t be possible without the vision and support of the late Ed Way, so it was an honor to have his family there to present our “Ed Way Heart and Hustle Award” to catcher John Hoskyn.  The event’s success is a credit to the outstanding work and commitment put into it by Coach Raffo and his staff, our administration and many others.  Thank you to Kalmer Solutions/Nathan and Gaye LaRue as the banquet's presenting sponsor, to Gene Vance for catering a fantastic meal and to our A-State baseball fans and supporters for joining us at First National Bank Arena and contributing to the Grand Slam Banquet!

BASEBALL SEASON

Our Grand Slam Banquet served as a fantastic prelude leading up to the start of our 2023 baseball season, which opens this Friday at Tomlinson Stadium and features a school-record 35 home games.  Including our three-game series versus UAPB this weekend, our Red Wolves play 15 of their first 16 games at home.  We’re looking forward to seeing our team, which features 22 newcomers, in action and hope you can join us to cheer on the Red Wolves.  First pitch for Opening Day is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and you can purchase season and single-game tickets by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets.

UPDATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS

Head coach Butch Jones and our football program recently announced nine new additions to our highly-touted 2023 recruiting class, which now includes 36 players from 15 different states.  Congratulations to Coach Jones and our football staff on assembling the No. 1 class in the Sun Belt per 247Sports for the second-consecutive year.  Each of our last two recruiting classes are ranked among the top three in school history.  This year’s group is partially made up of 23 high school players, which is the most announced as part of an A-State class since 2006.

The class also features 15 newcomers who will participate in our upcoming spring camp and be introduced Saturday during halftime of our men’s basketball game against Georgia State at First National Bank Arena.  Coach Jones will also speak during halftime.  Our first spring-camp practice is scheduled for March 9, and our Pack Day Spring Game will be played April 15.

BIG ROAD WIN

Congrats to head coach Destinee Rogers and our women’s basketball team for picking up a great road win last week over Troy, the Sun Belt Conference’s first-place team that had won 44 of its last 50 league games and 38 of its previous 43 SBC home contests.  We continued the tough road swing by playing well at second-place James Madison, setting up a big four-game home stand to close out the regular season.  Our Red Wolves will host South Alabama tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. and play Louisiana Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

MEN'S BASKETBALL SENIOR DAY

We’re excited to honor and recognize three members of our men’s basketball team as part of our Senior Day activities that will be held prior to our final home game of the season this Saturday against Georgia State.  We want to thank Dylan Arnette, Markise Davis and Omar El-Sheikh for their hard work and contributions to not only our men’s basketball program, but Arkansas State University.  We hope you’ll be able come out and show your support for these outstanding student-athletes and cheer on the Red Wolves when they face the Panthers at 2:00 p.m.

500TH ALL-TIME MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME AT FNBA

Our final home men’s basketball game of the season this Saturday versus Georgia State will be one for the record books as we celebrate our 500th all-time game played at First National Bank Arena, formerly known as the Convocation Center.  We played our first men’s basketball game at our current home facility on Dec. 1, 1987, and A-State has walked off the court victorious 352 times since.  Tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. with doors opening at 1:00, and the first 500 fans will receive a commemorative poster.

AD HONOR ROLL

During halftime of our men’s basketball game this Thursday against Troy, over 200 of our student-athletes will be recognized as members of our Athletics Director’s Honor Roll for achieving at least a 3.0 GPA during the Fall 2022 semester.  As always, we’re proud to honor our student-athletes for their achievements in the classroom and strong commitment to academics.  Congrats to all our student-athletes earning a place on our AD’s Honor Roll.

MID-WINTER INVITATIONAL AND SENIOR DAY

Ranked fourth in the nation, our women’s bowling team is set to host its annual home tournament, the Mid-Winter Invitational, this weekend (Feb. 17-19) at the Hijinx Family Entertainment Center.  We’re looking forward to this event, which features 17 teams, and holding our Senior Day activities on Sunday at 7:30 a.m.  We’ll be honoring Shalee Bradley, Sarah Sanes, Emma Stull and Faith Welch and want to thank them for their contributions to our women’s bowling program and Arkansas State University.  Friday’s action starts 10:00 a.m., while Saturday’s and Sunday’s competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., respectively.  Admission is free.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GOLF SPRING SCHEDULE

Our women’s golf team was back in action this week after completing the fall semester with the best team stroke average in school history.  Completing play in the Tulane Classic yesterday, they have four additional tournaments before the Sun Belt Conference Championships.  Our men’s golf team finished the fall ranked 79th in the nation and will begin their spring slate Feb. 27 at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate.

INDOOR T&F SBC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Enjoying another successful season with 35 student-athletes recording collegiate-best times or marks this year, our men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships next week (Mon.-Tue., Feb. 20-21) at the Birmingham Crossplex.  Both the men’s and women’s teams will be looking for their fourth consecutive Sun Belt indoor title.  The SBC Championships will appear on ESPN+.

ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Congratulations to our men’s and women’s cross country teams as both were named an All-Academic Team by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for boasting cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or better.  Our men’s team claimed a second-consecutive Sun Belt title this past fall while compiling a 3.40 GPA.  Our women’s squad finished runner-up at the league championships and boasted a 3.73 GPA.  NCAA Championships qualifier Jaybe Shufelberger was one of 171 women to earn All-Academic individual laurels.

GERMAN DALMAGRO

Announced Jan. 20 as our seventh all-time head women’s tennis coach, we are excited to welcome German Dalmagro and his family to Arkansas State.  We look forward to the bright future of our women’s tennis program under his leadership.  Our Red Wolves have a few more road matches before playing their first home outing under Coach Dalmagro, but we hope you’ll be able join us for his home debut on March 18 when we host South Alabama at noon.

NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

We were excited to have Kay Woodiel, A-State’s first women’s basketball, volleyball and women’s tennis head coach, join Associate AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement Brad Bobo for an interview to commemorate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 1.  A member of our Athletics Hall of Honor who helped usher Arkansas State into intercollegiate women’s athletics, Coach Woodiel discussed a lot of important topics in the interview, which can be viewed on our A-State Athletics Facebook page.

EQUALITY & INCLUSION GAMES

Along with other Sun Belt Conference schools, we hosted an Equality and Inclusion Game in both men’s and women’s basketball this month.  The league partnered with the Rising Coaches DEI Alliance – a nonprofit group made up of a dozen different social justice and minority coaching organizations.  The goal of the campaign is to articulate and celebrate equality and inclusion with our student-athletes, departments, fans and communities.

EARLY RENEWALS FOR FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS

As a reminder, the early renewal deadline for 2023 football season tickets is Friday, March 17.  The early renewal incentive this season is two (2) tickets to our home opener against Memphis.  Anyone who renews on or before March 17 is also entered into a drawing to win four (4) Woodard McAlister Family Club tickets and one (1) premium parking pass to a game of their choosing.

Beginning today, donors and season ticket holders can take advantage of our seven-month payment plan option.  We can also offer additional payment plan options, ranging from as little as two (2) months and as many as seven (7) months, lasting through Tuesday, Aug. 15.

For assistance, please contact the Red Wolves Foundation by email at redwolvesfoundation@astate.edu or phone at 870-972-2401.

RED WOLVES FOUNDATION MEMBERSHIP GUIDE

The Red Wolves Foundation is proud to unveil its Membership Guide. The purpose of the guide is to help our donors, fans and alumni better understand the processes of the Red Wolves Foundation. The Membership Guide will be a point of reference for all current and potential donors to provide comprehensive information about their giving and benefits with the Red Wolves Foundation. Click here to view a digital copy of the membership guide.

CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT

Our Athletics Department would like to thank Arkansas State University’s Student Activities Board for its hard work arranging “Howl on the Hardwood” with student organizations across our campus. The event, which always makes for a loud and fun environment, is set for this Thursday’s men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader.  Tipoff for our women’s game against South Alabama is set for 5:00 p.m., with doors opening at 4:00 p.m.  The first 400 Arkansas State University students with their A-State ID will receive a free t-shirt from the SAB and University Housing.

SAB members, along with the A-State spirit squads and Howlers Basketball Band, will conduct a pep rally between games.  There will be gift cards that combine to total $500 awarded to students during the event.

GET YOUR WOLVES UP!

This week’s #WolvesUp photos feature David and Lori Hundley at Grand Cayman and Jeremy Moore’s Physical Education class at MacArthur Junior High School.  The class made smoothies as part of a nutritional segment in PE, utilizing a $1,000 grant awarded to Moore through A-State’s participation with the College Football Playoff Foundation’s “Extra Yard for Teachers” initiative.

Remember to use the hashtag #WolvesUp in your social posts and tweet your photos to me @JeffPurinton if you have any pictures with your Wolves Up! or promoting A-State.  We will select photos to feature in each edition of State of the Pack.

Remember to use the hashtag #WolvesUp in your social posts and tweet your photos to me @JeffPurinton if you have any pictures with your Wolves Up! or promoting A-State.  We will select photos to feature in each edition of State of the Pack.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

View the list of scheduled events, broadcast information, start time and stat links on our composite calendar.  (Note:  All times are listed in Central Time.)  Access live stats from your desktop or mobile device by visiting AStateStats.com.

TICKETS

Season and single-game tickets for our fall and winter sports are available by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets or calling the A-State Ticket Office at 870-972-2781.  You can contact the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401 for additional information and/or to purchase tickets in our premium areas.