Naturals to Host 2nd Annual Hot Stove Luncheon on January 19
SPRINGDALE, AR - The Northwest Arkansas Naturals will host their second annual Hot Stove Luncheon in conjunction with the Springdale Rotary Club on Monday, January 19th at the Holiday Inn in Springdale.
The lunch program will run from noon until 1 P.M. with doors opening at 11:30 A.M. for the event. 2014 Manager Vance Wilson will participate along with 1B Clint Robinson, 2013 inductee into the Naturals Hall of Fame. They will be on hand to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take questions from Naturals fans during a scheduled Q & A session. Royals' owner David Glass will be in attendance and Justin Cole, the Naturals General Manager, is also scheduled to provide some updates on the planning for Season 8 of Naturals baseball. Benjamin Kelly, the voice of the Naturals, will emcee the event. All attendees are subject to change.
Admission is $25 per person which includes a buffet lunch, and all fans are encouraged to call (479) 927-4900 in advance of the event to purchase tickets their tickets. Rotary club members of Northwest Arkansas may reserve their seats to the luncheon by contacting Courtney Palfreeman at (479) 530-8060.
Vance Wilson, Manager
Vance Wilson, 41, completed his first season as the manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and his fourth managerial campaign overall -- all coming within the Kansas City Royals organization. Originally a native of Mesa, Ariz., the New York Mets drafted Wilson out of Mesa Community College in the 44th round in 1993. During an 8-year major league career, Wilson was the primary back-up catcher for 12-time All-Star, Mike Piazza while playing with the Mets and then later on backing-up 14-time All-Star Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez while playing the 2006 World Series with the Detroit Tigers. Wilson made a comeback from "Tommy John" surgery in 2009 with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals before officially retiring as a player. Wilson resides in Springdale, Ark. and has for over 20 years.
Clint Robinson, First Baseman, Washington Nationals
Clint Robinson is one of the most decorated Northwest Arkansas Naturals of all-time. Robinson, 29, became just the third player in Texas League in the circuit's 126-year history to win the Triple Crown in 2010. The Jefferson City, Mo. native helped lead a powerful Naturals line-up to the franchise's first Texas League Championship with a 3-1 series win over the Midland RockHounds (Double-A, Oakland Athletics). While playing as a mid-season call-up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Robinson knocked his first big-league hit and drove in the go-ahead and eventual game-winning RBI off 2014 AL Cy Young winner, Corey Kluber. Robinson has spent the majority of the last four seasons playing at the Triple-A level and signed with the Washington Nationals in late-December.
Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @nwanaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime for all of our up-to-date information on tickets, groups, our promotional calendar, roster, and other team-related information.
Season 8 of Naturals baseball begins on Thursday, April 9, 2015 in Midland, Texas. The Naturals will open at Arvest Ballpark on Thursday, April 16 at 6:05 P.M. against the same Midland RockHounds, the Double-A Affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark. For more information including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.
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