North Carolina Baseball is all set to host its highly anticipated 16th annual First Pitch Dinner on Saturday, January 18, 2025. This event will take place inside the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium and will feature Tar Heel great and Seattle Mariners All-Star Kyle Seager as the keynote speaker. It serves as the unofficial kickoff for the upcoming UNC baseball season and offers a unique opportunity to connect with the 2025 team and preview the season ahead with the newly-extended fifth-year head coach Scott Forbes.

An Evening of Baseball Excellence

Tickets to this remarkable event can be purchased here. Current members of the Diamond Heels will be on hand to sign autographs, accompanied by a number of former UNC baseball lettermen who have made successful transitions to professional careers and are returning to Chapel Hill for this special occasion. A silent auction featuring a wide range of sporting and non-sporting memorabilia and other giveaways will add to the excitement.

The MVP Reception

The MVP reception kicks off at 5:30 p.m., setting the stage for an evening of celebration. Following this, the silent auction and meet and greet commence at 6:15 p.m., allowing attendees to interact with the team and former players. Dinner is served around 7 p.m., providing a perfect opportunity to enjoy the company of fellow baseball enthusiasts.Individual tickets for the event range from $50 to $180, offering different options to suit everyone's budget. Table sponsorships are also available for $1,500 and include eight guests, along with two members of the 2025 team and eight MVP reception tickets.

Kyle Seager's Tar Heel Legacy

Kyle Seager had an outstanding three seasons as a Tar Heel. He achieved a remarkable.353 batting average, amassing 155 runs and 258 hits. His performance helped the team reach the College World Series all three years. His 30 doubles as a sophomore still holds the single-season program record, even 16 years later. Throughout his career, he accumulated 66 doubles, which is the second most all-time.While in Chapel Hill, Seager earned numerous accolades, including second-team All-America, All-Atlantic Region, All-ACC, and All-College World Series Team honors. He was then selected in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners and made his debut for the big league club in 2011. Spending his entire 11-year career in Seattle, he played 1,480 games, hitting.251 and scoring 705 runs. 2014 was a standout year for him in the majors as he was named to the AL All-Star Team and received a Rawlings Gold Glove for his exceptional play at third base.