Jan. 15, 2013

DeKALB, Ill. - The annual Northern Illlinois baseball Leadoff Banquet will be held Sunday January 27, beginning at 3:30 p.m. at Blumen Gardens in nearby Sycamore. The event will be an opportunity to meet and greet with Huskie players and coaches, and will also serve as a 2012 season review and preview of 2013.

"We're excited about this year's banquet," said Head Coach Ed Mathey, "we changed this year's location and brought it back locally. Blumen Gardens is going to be a neat spot for it and the folks at Buona Catering will be there as well so it will promise to have some good food."

The Huskies will welcome special guest speaker Ed Farmer (Evergreen Park, Ill.), the Chicago White sox radio play-by-play announcer and former Major League All Star relief pitcher. Farmer played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (1973-74, 1977-83) and spent three seasons as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles (1988-91). The Sox call man has been a member of the White Sox broadcast team since 1992 and took over play-by-play duties in 2005.

"Ed has been a radio guy for the White Sox for awhile now and he spent a long time playing Major League Baseball," continued Mathey. "He loves the White Sox and he loves baseball. He's a great story teller and he's one of those guys that once you get him going, he's got some real good ones to tell. Our players, our fans and our families are going to love it."

Along with Farmer, NIU will also be holding a silent auction during the banquet with all proceeds going to the baseball program. Items up for auction include a Derrick Rose autographed jersey, a Paul Konerko autographed bat, a jersey autographed by John Denks, a Patrick Kane autographed jersey and various tickets to Chicago sporting events.

Tickets for the event can be purchased for $60 through the NIU baseball office by 4 p.m. on Thursday January 24th and can also be bought at the door upon entrance. To RSVP or for questions, call or email Assistant Coach Tom Carcione at (815) 753-0147 and tcarcione@niu.edu.

The doors to the event will open at 3:30 p.m., with dinner starting at 4:30 p.m.

Credit cards will be accepted for reservations. Blumen Gardens is located in Sycamore at 403 Edward St.