January 5 - Details have been finalized and registration and ticket sales have opened for the NOVA Baseball Magazine First Pitch Weekend at the Holiday Inn Dulles in Sterling on March 4-5.
The First Pitch Weekend will feature several events as a way to kickoff the 2017 baseball season in Northern Virginia. Included over the weekend will be a ‘Coach Clinic’ for youth, travel and high school coaches, a ‘Trade Show’ featuring baseball exhibitors, the ‘2017 Northern Virginia Media Day’, a ‘Meet the Pro’s’ session with former Major Leaguers from the area, an ‘Old-Timers Lunch’ for past coaches, and an ‘Awards & Hall of Fame Banquet’ that is co-sponsored by the magazine and the re-established Home Plate Club.
The clinic will feature 20 speakers, including University of Mary Washington head coach Wayne Riser and 12 head coaches from Northern Virginia high schools. The banquet, meanwhile, will feature celebrity emcees and a keynote speaker who will be announced at a later date. The HPC’s newest Hall of Fame class will be inducted and awards presented to area players, coaches and teams at the banquet, which will also serve as a fundraiser for Kyle's Kamp, which raises awareness and funds to support pediatric cancer research.
The pre-registration fee for individual coaches attending the clinic is $40, with group rates available. Cost for the banquet is $75. Child care is available all weekend and is included in the costs, and coffee and donuts will be provided to coaches prior to the morning clinic sessions both mornings.
The ‘Meet the Pro’s’ session is free and open to the public, with youth players encouraged to attend. The magazine will announce the list of former big leaguers who will be attending as the event date nears, with the former players made available to sign autographs and conduct a Q&A session with the youth players. Door prize giveaways and a 50/50 raffle will also be held at the session.
The weekend’s final event will be the ‘2017 Northern Virginia Media Day’, an opportunity for local media to interview local coaches and some of the area's top high school and collegiate players. A press conference with coaches from the magazine's preseason Northern Virginia Top 10 Poll and players from the preseason NOVA Nine Team watch will kick things off, and the magazine will also release its 2017 Northern Virginia Baseball Media Guide at the event. Hors d'Oeuvres will be served to those in attendance.
Both the ‘Meet the Pro’s’ and media day sessions are free and open to the public, who are also encouraged to visit the trade show exhibitors. Attached to the Holiday Inn Dulles is O’Malley’s Sports Pub & Grill, which will provide those in attendance at the First Pitch Weekend with a convenient food option.
For more information, including the event’s schedule and confirmed speakers, or to register for the coach clinic or purchase tickets for the banquet, visit the link here. The info page also details sponsorship opportunities and details on how exhibitors can register for the trade show. Space is limited to 250 coaches for the clinic, 230 tickets for the banquet, 15 exhibitors and nine sponsors, and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
