Princeton Rays News & Notes as of April 18, 2011

*In the picture that accompanies this story, how about the great start on a "Rays Baseball Room" by 9-year old Matthew Lilly of Athens, WV? Even as of now (April, 2011), this room already contains (all Rays-related): 15 bobbleheads, 19 types of figurines, 17 promotional giveaway items, 11 mounted broken bats (all of which are autographed), 13 autographed baseballs, and a base autographed by the entire 2009 Princeton Rays team. There are also four jerseys in the room, including the framed jersey shown in this picture of 2008 P-Rays' outfielder D.J. Jones, who was the first Princeton player Matthew met and got him interested in coming to the games at Hunnicutt Field. If you too have a "Rays Room, how about sharing a picture of your room with our readers? Tell us about your "Rays Room." Contact the P-Rays either by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephoning the team front office at (304) 487-2000.

*The general admission "season" ticket books for the 2011 Princeton Rays are expected to be made available for purchase by the public around May 5. There were some factory production issues that have delayed the books arriving in Princeton as quickly this year. The books will remain at $55.00 and each book will contain 30 undated general admission (bleacher seating) tickets which can be used in any quantity at any regular season Princeton Rays' home game in 2011. Once again, the tickets will also be accepted for general admission seating at any 2011 regular season home game for the nearby Bluefield Blue Jays at Bluefield's Bowen Field. As a special bonus this year, there will be a special coupon offer from Taco Bell on all ticket books for this upcoming season.

*Nick Johnson, a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University who completed an administrative/sports marketing internship with the Princeton Rays in 2010, was recently named as general manager of the DeLand (FL) Suns of the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Since 1998, the P-Rays have annually conducted a very comprehensive internship for college students wanting to break into the field of working in sports. The program has made candidates job-ready for their first-time employment in the world of sports and there have been many success stories of former P-Rays' interns achieving success in the sports world. If you know of anyone looking for an internship in this career, please contact the Princeton Rays front office, either by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephoning (304) 487-2000.

*BLUEGRASS & BASEBALL: There will be a little something different and a lot of something extra for fans attending our Saturday, August 6 game versus the Greeneville Astros. The difference will be a 6:00 p.m. on-field bluegrass/gospel concert before the game by popular local recording artists Jonathan Buckner and Chosen Road. The P-Rays invite, in addition to our season-long box seat holders and season ticket holders, all members of all churches from far and wide to attend. And, to add to the festivities, all single-game tickets sold at the box office will be reduced for this game only. Fans needing to purchase their tickets at the gate (gates will open at 5:00 p.m.) for the August 6 game will be pleased to know they will get an evening of "bluegrass & baseball" for the low price of $2.00 each for all general admission bleacher seat tickets while reserved box seat tickets for seats under the grandstand roof will be reduced to $4.00 each! Fans wanting to learn more about the band (and maybe get a little audio sampling of the music too) can visit their website at www.chosenroad.org.

*The P-Rays added a new fan poll question to the opening page of the team's website at www.princetonrays.net on April 8. It appears near the lower right-hand corner of the opening page, so take a moment and weigh in with your answer.

*On April 14, Princeton Rays general manager Jim Holland gave a speech about the P-Rays at the April, 2011 meeting of the East River Ruritan Club, located in Oakvale, WV. If your group or civic club is ever in need of a guest speaker to catch you up on all the latest happenings of Princeton Rays baseball, please contact the Princeton Rays either by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephoning the team's front office at (304) 487-2000 to schedule an appearance.

*This past February, the Princeton Rays introduced their new P-Rays' "Mountain Heritage" souvenir baseball cap. The cap, which is currently pictured on the opening page of the P-Rays' website at www.princetonrays.net as well as on the Princeton Rays Facebook page, has a navy blue front crown that features the outline of the state of West Virginia highlighted by the Rays sunburst that indicates where the city of Princeton would be located on the map. The back half of cap's crown is white and features the team's "P" logo in navy blue. These "flex-fit" caps, manufactured by the famous New Era Cap Company is available in small/medium (hat sizes up to 7 1/4) and medium/large (hat sizes 7 1/4 to 7 3/4). The P-Rays' "Mountain Heritage" souvenir caps are $18.00 each, in stock at the team's souvenir store, and available for immediate purchase. The Princeton Rays accept major credit cards. For those who do not live in the immediate Princeton area, the cap can be ordered either by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephoning the Princeton Rays' office at (304) 487-2000. Be sure to obtain one of these unique caps and join the others who have already purchased it.

*Speaking of souvenirs, it is now possible to conveniently order your favorite P-Rays' gear and memorabilia simply by visiting the "Rays Tank," the official on-line souvenir store of the Princeton Rays. The team's on-line store, which was launched on March 4, can be accessed by going to the opening page of the team's website at www.princetonrays.net and then clicking on "P-Rays Shop," which appears near the upper right-hand corner of that opening page. We hope you enjoy browsing our current souvenir inventory and the P-Rays are expected to add several new on-line souvenir items to the inventory prior to the beginning of the 2011 Appalachian League season.

*THE GOLDEN RAYS NUMBERS ARE GROWING...Be sure to see introductory information included with our monthly newsletters of the Princeton Rays, "Raywatch," or on the P-Rays website at www,princetonrays.net concerning the new "Golden Rays Club" for P-Rays' fans ages 55 and over. There are still more finalized details to be revealed but be sure to get familiar with the introductory information and please spread the word! We are now accepting club members and have already received numerous completed registration forms with payments. Please contact the P-Rays' front office either by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (304) 487-2000 and we will be happy to forward a registration form to you as they are now available.

To get more immediate and breaking information year-round on Princeton Rays Professional Baseball as it occurs, do not forget that the P-Rays are now on Facebook. Be sure to check out our Facebook section on our website at www.princetonrays.net. Don't miss your opportunity to sign up for this free service! ANOTHER FREE OPPORTUNITY for you to keep up with your P-Rays is to follow the team on "Twitter" at www.twitter.com/princetonrays.