First Pitch Dinner Set For Jan. 13

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina baseball program will host its 15th annual First Pitch Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, inside the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium with four-year Tar Heel letterman and Major League Baseball catcher Jacob Stallings serving as the featured guest speaker.

The First Pitch Dinner, which serves as the unofficial kickoff event for the upcoming UNC baseball season, will include the opportunity to meet the 2024 team and preview the season ahead with fourth-year head coach Scott Forbes.

Current members of the Diamond Heels will be available to sign autographs along with UNC baseball lettermen, who have gone on to professional careers in attendance. Silent and live auctions featuring sporting and non-sporting memorabilia and other giveaways will be conducted.

Former Tar Heel Michael Busch will be recognized for making his Major League debut this past season. He debuted as the Los Angeles Dodgers' designated hitter on April 25 at Pittsburgh, collecting his first career hit, walk, and RBI less than four years after being drafted by the organization in the first round.

As a member of the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Busch was selected as the 2023 Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player and the league's Top MLB Prospect. He was also named the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.

The MVP reception begins at 5 p.m., followed by the silent auction and meet and greet at 5:45 p.m., with dinner served at approximately 6:45 p.m. Individual tickets for the event range from $50 to $150. Table sponsorships include eight guests with two members of the 2024 team, and eight MVP reception tickets are available for $1,000.

To register to attend the First Pitch Dinner, please click here.

Stallings was a second-team All-ACC selection as a senior and finished the season with a .294 average to rank second on the team while driving in a team-best 42 runs in 62 games. He tallied 24 doubles to set the record for most doubles by a catcher in school history.

In his four years as a Tar Heel, Stallings' teams posted an incredible record of 183-72, leading UNC to a pair of College World Series appearances.

Stallings was the first Tar Heel taken in the 2012 Major League Baseball by the Pittsburgh Pirates. After four years in the minor leagues, he made his MLB debut in 2016. He has played over 450 games during his eight-year career with the Pirates and Miami Marlins.

Stallings won his first Gold Glove in 2021 as the best catcher in the National League.

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