Former Major League Baseball All-Star and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson will be the featured speaker at the 2023 Youngstown State Baseball First Pitch Breakfast, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield. He will be joined by current Major League Baseball umpire and Youngstown-area native Brian O'Nora.
"The First Pitch Breakfast is such an amazing event that has just grown larger and larger every year," said YSU head coach Dan Bertolini. "We have been really fortunate over the years to have some great people speak at our breakfast, and this year we have continued that tradition. Anytime you can have a Major League Umpire and a Hall of Fame baseball player in the same room, it is pretty special, and we are so blessed to have Brian O'Nora and Andre Dawson be a part of our event. This event is so important for our program and the support from the community has been outstanding these last nine years. The generosity of so many is really what drives our program and helps us to be in the position to win on a consistent basis. I am really looking forward to this year and I cannot wait to see everyone in attendance to help make this year even more special."
The event will also provide fans the opportunity to meet the 2023 Penguins baseball squad, enjoy a breakfast buffet and bid in live and silent auctions on an impressive lineup of Major League Baseball memorabilia, unique experiences and YSU baseball gear. A breakfast ticket will also provide entrance into a door prize drawing, which will be for two different door prizes. The first prize will be an autographed bat signed by the 2023 YSU baseball team. The second prize will be four 2023 season tickets for Youngstown State baseball home games.
General admission tickets are $40 apiece, and reserved seats are $50 each. Corporate and family tables are also available for $700 and include 10 breakfast/raffle tickets, premium seating at the First Pitch Breakfast and two guests to join the speakers and the YSU baseball staff for dinner on Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. at Michael Alberini's in Boardman. Premium Reserved tables are also available for $500, which will guarantee priority seating for 10 people to hear both speakers share their experiences at the breakfast.
Doors will open and the buffet begins at 8:00 a.m. with the program commencing at 9.
Dawson played in the MLB for 21 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins. An eight-time National League All-Star, he was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1977 after batting .282 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs. Dawson won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1987 after leading the league with 49 homers and 137 RBIs; he had been runner-up for the award in both 1981 and 1983. He batted .300 five times, drove in 100 runs four times and had 13 seasons of at least 20 home runs. Dawson is one of eight MLB players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases during his career.
Dawson was an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner while earning four Silver Slugger Awards. He finished his MLB career with 2,774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases, and 1,591 RBI. Dawson is also one of only five members of the 400 HR-300 SB club, along with Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltrán. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010. Dawson's No. 10 jersey was retired by the Montreal Expos, and he is a member of both the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor and the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was also inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
O'Nora joined the Major League umpiring staff in 2000 after previously umpiring for the American League from 1992 to 1999. He has worked the 2004 National League Division Series, the 2006 National League Division Series, the 2009 National League Division Series, the 2010 American League Division Series and the 2012 National League Division Series. O'Nora also umpired the 2008 American League Championship Series and the 2012 World Series. He was a part of the crew that worked in the 2000, 2010, and 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Games.
In 2011, O'Nora was one of two MLB umpires who were selected to officiate the MLB-All Stars Taiwan series. During spring training in 2014, he served as the replay umpire for the first use of expanded replay in a Major League Baseball game. O'Nora was also behind home plate for the Chicago Cubs combined no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 24, 2021. He is a graduate of nearby Austintown Fitch High School.
Tickets can be purchased by returning the Ticket Order Form provided above or by contacting Youngstown State Assistant Coach Eric Bunnell at ebunnell@ysu.edu
Waypoint 4180 is located at 4180 Westford Place in Canfield.
