AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn baseball and head coach Butch Thompson are excited to announce the 19th annual Auburn Diamond Club Preseason Banquet, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. CT at Auburn Arena.
Headlining this year's banquet are guest speakers and notable college baseball analysts Chris Burke and Kyle Peterson.
Burke was a two-time All-American and the unanimous choice for the 2001 SEC Player of the Year at Tennessee (1999-2001). He holds the Tennessee career records for runs scored (224), hits (314), doubles (72), triples (17) and total bases (498) while ranking second in program history in batting average (.404).
Burke went on to be selected by the Houston Astros with the 10th overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft and enjoyed a 10-year professional career. He made his MLB debut with Houston in 2004 and is most known for hitting the walk-off home run that sent the Astros to the 2005 National League Championship Series and eventually World Series. The Louisville, Kentucky native went on to play for the Arizona, Atlanta, Seattle, San Diego and Cincinnati organizations before retiring in 2010.
Burke was hired as a baseball analyst at ESPN in 2012 and has served in the capacity with the SEC Network since its launch in 2014.
Peterson was a two-time All-American and two-time Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year at Stanford (1995-97). He posted a 35-9 career record and 3.62 ERA and still ranks tied for second in program history in strikeouts (363) and wins.
Peterson was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 13th overall pick in the 1997 MLB Draft spent five seasons in professional baseball, all with the Brewers organization. The Omaha, Nebraska native made his MLB debut with Milwaukee in 1999 and made 17 appearances and 12 starts for the club. He retired from baseball in 2001.
Peterson joined ESPN as a baseball analyst in 2003 and has served in the capacity since. Like Burke, he serves as a lead analyst for the SEC Network and has covered the Little League World Series since 2003.
Banquet tickets are on sale now. Member rates are $50 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under. The general public can purchase tickets for $75 apiece. VIP tables are also available for purchase.
Tickets can be purchased online at auburndiamondclub.com/events. The deadline for reservations is Friday, Jan. 10. For more information or to join the Auburn Diamond Club, visit auburndiamondclub.com.
Coming off the first College World Series appearance in 22 seasons, the Tigers open the 2020 campaign with a four-game series against Illinois-Chicago beginning Friday, Feb. 14 at Plainsman Park.