Meet the Fightins Banquet to be Held March 31st

Banquet at Crowne Plaza to also serve as King of Baseballtown Banquet

February 7, 2014

The Reading Fightin Phils, Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, will kick off Fightin Phils Opening Week on Monday, March 31st when they hold the Meet the Fightins Banquet at the Reading Crowne Plaza. The banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

The season-debuting banquet will feature the introduction of the entire 2014 Fightins Opening Night roster, including manager Dusty Wathan and his coaching staff. Wathan, pitching coach David Lundquist, and hitting coach Rob Ducey will take part of a question-and-answer session during the dinner.

Fans will have the first opportunity to meet the team through an autograph session with the entire team and staff. There will also be a raffle and silent auction of various sports collectibles and memorabilia.

The kickoff event will also double as the King of Baseballtown Banquet, which was postponed from its original date in January.

2014 King of Baseballtown Charlie Flannery will also be crowned at the event. The legendary coach of the Gregg Post American Legion team and Reading Hot Stovers Banquet Chairman will be the 12th king crowned by Baseballtown Charities.

Tickets for the King of Baseballtown Banquet cost $65 for adults and $25 for kids and are available now online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, or by visiting the Fightins Ticket Office located at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Ticketholders from the postponed January event will be admitted with their original ticket.

Proceeds from the event benefit Baseballtown Charities, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded to keep baseball alive in Reading through programs that honor the city's rich baseball history and secure its future by giving more kids the opportunity to play and learn from the game's life lessons. Since being founded in 2006, the organization constructed Gordon Hoodak Stadium at Lauer's Park, a $900,000 youth ballpark that sits on the grounds of Lauer's Park Elementary, in 2006 and added $90,000 in renovations to Baer Park in 2013.