The USC Upstate Athletics Department will host its Third Annual Groundhog Day Luncheon to mark the start of the 2017 baseball and softball seasons at 11:30 am Thursday, Feb. 2nd in the Campus Life Center Ballroom.
Tickets are $10 for the general public and $6 for USC Upstate faculty, staff, students and former players. For more ticket information or to purchase tickets, please contact Nathan Dixon by email at [email protected] or by phone at (864) 503-5865.
The Groundhog Day Luncheon will feature head baseball coach Matt Fincher and head softball coach Chris Hawkins speaking about their teams and the upcoming season. Attendees will also get to meet members of both programs. The menu for the luncheon consists of hamburgers, hot dogs, nacho chips with cheese sauce, cole slaw and cookies. Peanuts and cracker jacks will also be available at each table.
The USC Upstate baseball and softball teams have enjoyed a large measure of success in recent years. The softball team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the past four years, has been ranked in the national Top 25 polls and had several individual award winners in the ASUN and nationally. The baseball team has battled for conference titles and also has had several players drafted to sign with various Major League Baseball organizations.
The softball team’s season opener is 2:00 pm Thursday, Feb. 9th with a doubleheader at home against Gardner-Webb. The baseball team opens at home home 4:00 pm Friday, Feb. 17th against Virginia Tech from Harley Park.