Hooks on CBS Sports Network June 12

CORPUS CHRISTI - Next Thursday, June 12, the Corpus Christi Hooks, Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Houston Astros, will host the Frisco RoughRiders in the Minor League BaseballTM Game of the Week on CBS Sports Network at 7:05 p.m. CDT. The Hooks have been selected as one of 15 MiLBTM teams to host a nationally televised game this season as part of an agreement announced on May 1 between MiLB and CBS Sports Network. Highlights of the night will include Thirsty Thursday, with discounted beer and soda, plus Hooks electric orange 10th-season T-shirts for the first 1,600 fans.  

"We are delighted to welcome CBS Sports Network and its audience for this national telecast," Hooks President Ken Schrom said. "We have been blessed with a great baseball city in Corpus Christi. We are all extremely proud of Whataburger Field at the Port of Corpus Christi and can't wait to share this great venue in such a unique setting with viewers from across the nation."

"We look forward to exposing even more fans to the excitement of Minor League Baseball, from top prospects working their way up to the major leagues to the fun and engaging elements our fans enjoy at our ballparks," Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O'Conner, added.

This is the first time in MiLB's 100 plus years of existence that multiple classifications of Minor League Baseball will be featured on a national TV broadcast. Fans tuning in to the Game of the Week broadcasts will see intrastate rivalries, an array of baseball's top prospects and 15 unique team locations over the course of the season. A total of 28 MiLB teams are being featured, as well as eight different leagues and more than 20 Major League Baseball affiliations.

Dick Gabriel and Doug Flynn will anchor each week's matchup. Gabriel, a three-time Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year, will be joined by Flynn, a two-time World Series Champion with the Cincinnati Reds and Gold Glove winner with the New York Mets. Lauren Gardner will serve as roving reporter.

"Since baseball began its first player draft in 1965, only 21 selections out of nearly 60,000 have advanced directly to Major League Baseball without first playing in Minor League Baseball," said Michael Hand, Chief Marketing Officer for Minor League Baseball and President, MiLB Enterprises. "By televising our games to a national audience, MiLB can feature the next generation of stars at all classifications as they travel The Road to the Show."

CBS Sports Network is available across the country to more than 99 million households through local cable, video and telco providers, and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

About the Corpus Christi Hooks and Whataburger Field
Whataburger Field, completed in 2005 at a cost of $25 million, is home to the Hooks, Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Houston Astros. Now owned by their parent club, the Hooks focus on exemplary customer service in a family-friendly environment. The ballpark occupies land once dominated by cotton warehouses at the Port of Corpus Christi. Its architectural attributes, from mammoth wood beams to corrugated siding, pay tribute to the site's heritage. The scoreboard in left-center field is framed by antique cotton presses, one which dates to the 1920s. During games, large oceangoing vessels and their tiny tugboat escorts navigate the port's ship channel, which runs behind the stadium compound. Ships clear the iconic Harbor Bridge (1959), a magnificent span for Highway 181, before churning out to the Gulf of Mexico through Corpus Christi Bay. On the field, Corpus Christi is coming off two successful seasons. The 2012 and 2013 Hooks established team records for victories and skipper Keith Bodie has guided his charges to three straight Texas League South Division half-season championships. Led by Hunter Pence, the Hooks won a 2006 TL championship in their second year of existence.

About Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs through their farm systems. Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2013, Minor League Baseball attracted more than 41 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information about Minor League Baseball, visit www.MiLB.com.