UW-Oshkosh To Co-Host NCAA Baseball Opening Ceremony
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Baseball Championship kicks off with an opening ceremony on Thursday, May 26 at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton.
The Opening Ceremony, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. This marks the second straight year for an Opening Ceremony at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. The evening, which begins with a championship mini-bat giveaway to the first 750 fans and a barbecue that runs from 7 to 8 p.m., is capped off by a fireworks display courtesy of the J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc., at 9 p.m.
The Opening Ceremony Barbecue, which is open to the public, costs $15 per person. Reservations for the barbecue can be made by contacting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ticket office at (920) 733-4152. The reservation deadline is 9 a.m. Thursday, May 26.
Emcee Dick Knapinski will lead teams and spectators through the Opening Ceremony. A Parade of Champions introduces fans to all eight teams participating in the finals. The eight teams vying for this year’s title are Emory University (Ga.), Keystone College (Pa.), La Roche College (Pa.), St. John Fisher College (N.Y.), State University of New York-Cortland, Trinity University (Texas), University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Included in the Opening Ceremony are the NCAA Elite 90 Award presentation and the announcement of the All-America teams. Representatives of the host institutions and the NCAA Division III Baseball Committee are also slated to speak. The first 750 fans to enter the Opening Ceremony will receive an 18-inch, royal blue mini-bat that features the 2016 championship logo.
The fireworks display, sponsored by the J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc., wraps up the evening. The J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc. focuses on basic needs, including providing food, shelter, clothing and medical care for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Since 1990, the J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc. has carried on the giving spirit of John J. and Ethel D. Keller. The couple enjoyed their philanthropic work until Ethel passed away in 2004 and John passed in 2007.
More than 350 nonprofit organizations have received funds over the years from the J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc. The foundation reached a milestone of $40 million in grants in 2014. Board member James J. Keller gave the foundation grant to the local organizing committee of the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
The finals are being held in Appleton for the 17th consecutive year. Lawrence University, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau are hosting the event.
Other major local sponsors are the Bergstrom Corporation, J. J. Keller Foundation, Inc., Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, The Post-Crescent, and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Action in this year’s eight-team championship begins with four games on Friday, May 27. Four games will also be held on May 28 and 29 and as many as two games on May 30 and 31. If necessary, one game could be played on June 1.
Game tickets can be purchased by calling the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ticket office at (920)
733-4152.
For information on the 2016 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, visit www.ncaa.com.
For additional information on the 2016 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, contact Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker at (920) 832-6878 or UW-Oshkosh Sports Information Director Kennan Timm at (920) 424-0365.