Washington Nationals MASN-TV Play-by-play Broadcaster, Bob Carpenter to Serve as Keynote Speaker, Isaac Ballou to be Honored as 2015 Potomac Nationals' Player of the Year at P-Nats' 21st Annual Hot Stove Banquet & Silent Auction

Woodbridge, VA---The Potomac Nationals are excited to announce Washington Nationals' MASN-TV Play-by-play Broadcaster, Bob Carpenter will serve as keynote speaker for the P-Nats' 21st annual Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Sports Memorabilia Auction at Old Hickory Golf Club on Sunday, January 31st from 5:30pm to 8:00pm while P-Nats 2015 Player of the Year, Isaac Ballou will also be making a special appearance at the event.

Additionally, Washington Nationals Director of Player Development, Mark Scialabba, Washington Nationals Director of Minor League Operations, Ryan Thomas, and Potomac Field Manager, Tripp Keister will also be attending the P-Nats' hot stove banquet.

The Potomac Nationals' 21st annual Hot Stove Banquet is the official kick-off event in advance of the 2016 season.

The club's marquee off-season event is open to the general public and will take place in the main ballroom at Old Hickory Golf Club.

Carpenter, a veteran professional sportscaster who has covered five decades of pro sports, enters his 11th season with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) broadcasting the Washington Nationals and his 33rd year of Major League Baseball play-by-play.

Carpenter came to Washington, D.C. in 2006 after 10 years on television and radio with the St. Louis Cardinals and 16 seasons of MLB on ESPN-TV.

During the baseball off-season, Carpenter handles basketball play-by-play for the University of Oklahoma and Oral Roberts University (OK).

Carpenter has previously broadcasted the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and Minnesota Twins in addition to his work with the Cardinals and Nationals, and has been behind the microphone for Triple-A All-Star Games, NCAA and NIT Basketball Tournaments, and College Football bowl games.

Carpenter, a St. Louis, MO native, won two St. Louis/Mid-America Emmy Awards (1996 and 1997) and a National Capital/Chesapeake Bay Emmy in 2008.

The wordsmith announced the 2005 NCAA Basketball Final Four in his hometown of St. Louis for NCAA International TV, one of his seven NCAA tournaments.

Carpenter previously voiced a variety of sports for USA Network, including college basketball and football plus PGA Golf including The Masters, and professional tennis including the U.S. Open. Carpenter's past announcing gigs include numerous soccer events at RFK Stadium starting as the TV Voice of Team America in 1983. He also worked several matches during the 1994 World Cup.

Carpenter began his broadcasting career in 1976 as Minor League Baseball play-by-play announcer with the Tulsa Oilers.

Carpenter is known by Nats fans for his trademark home run call, "See…you…later!" after a ball reaches the outfield seats at Nationals Park and venues around the MLB landscape.    

Ballou, 25, a 15th round selection of the Washington Nationals out of the 2013 MLB Draft, submitted a career season in 2015 across three levels of Washington's Minor League chain.

Ballou, an outfield product of Marshall University (WV), and member of the 2014 Mills Cup Champion, Potomac Nationals, began his 2015 campaign with the P-Nats playing in 70 games in which the southpaw stick hit .249 with 63 hits, 27 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 25 runs batted in, 27 walks, and 11 stolen bases.

Ballou was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators on June 28th before he turned in a slash line of .304/.383/.494/.876 with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 24 RBIs, and nine stolen bags in 49 contests.

The six-foot, two-inch, 205-pound, "Ike" Ballou finished his stellar season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs going 6-for-20 at the plate with three runs tallied, two doubles, two RBIs, and one swipe.

Adept at tracking balls hit his way and delivering the ball back to the infield with precision, Ballou in concert with his developing offensive skills (both contact and power) and fleet spikes, made the case in 2015 for the prospect to be considered by scouts as a five-tool talent and in turn, clinched his honors as Potomac Nationals Player of the Year.    

Keister prepares for his third straight season skippering the Potomac Nationals two years removed from claiming a Carolina League Championship in 2014 and inherits a squad that went (65-74) during the 2015 regular season and produced two mid-season Carolina League All-Stars last season in C Spencer Kieboom and RHP Nick Pivetta (traded to Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Jonathan Papelbon before the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline in late July).  

Scialabba and Thomas are tasked with overseeing the future crop of Washington Nationals Big League stars who are bestowed the responsibility of helping the Nationals achieve the franchise's first World Series Championship. 

Potomac Nationals' fans, booster club members, official sponsors, group outing leaders, Washington Nationals player development representatives, and special guests of the team will take in an evening of Nationals' hot stove chatter while enjoying great food and an extensive silent sports memorabilia auction to benefit S.P.A.R.K. (Supporting Partnerships and Resources for Kids), the Education Foundation for Prince William County Public Schools.

Past auctions have included items autographed by Washington Nationals stars, Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Zimmerman. Items for the Nationals' 2016 auction ledger have been donated by teams from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL).    

The P-Nats' hot stove banquet will include an open cocktail hour from 5:30pm to 6:30pm during a silent sports memorabilia auction that will continue until 7:45pm. A plated dinner and the full program will run from 6:30pm to approximately 8:00pm.

The "Voice of the Potomac Nationals," and Director of Corporate Sales, Media Relations & Broadcasting, Bryan Holland will serve as emcee of the 2016 P-Nats Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Auction.

The ballroom crowd will have the opportunity to hear Carpenter's take on the Nationals from his unique perspective in the television booth at Nationals Park in addition to Scialabba on the "State of the Nats."

Keister will provide a preview of what to expect from the Potomac Nationals' 2016 roster as the Carolina League's Nationals prepare to capture their sixth Mills Cup Championship in franchise history.

The Potomac Nationals will recognize Ballou, the 2015 P-Nats Player of the Year, during the banquet program while also distinguishing the to-be-announced Fan of the Year and Employee of the Year, in addition to Prince William County's 2015 Softball and Baseball Players of the Year, Emily Weatherholtz (Osbourne Park High School in Manassas, VA) and Jake Agnos (Battlefield High School in Haymarket, VA), respectively.

Also on the banquet docket is the announcement of the 2016 P-Nats' Fan Vote Bobblehead which will be given away to the first 1,000 fans through the gates at Pfitzner Stadium on a to-be-determined date during the upcoming season. The Potomac Nationals' Fan Vote Bobblehead is sponsored by: Loyal Hygiene Solutions.

"The P-Nats' annual hot stove banquet and silent auction has become an invaluable tradition for our franchise and for our fans, booster club members, sponsors, and friends of the club alike. All bids on silent auction items will go towards a great cause and this is the time for our fans to share in their collective excitement for the 2016 season. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to present all that we have planned for the upcoming 2016 campaign at the banquet," said Potomac Nationals Vice President and General Manager, Zach Prehn.

Join the discussion on all the latest hot stove news and notes on P-Nats Baseball with front office executives, special guests, and Nationals fans from around the Northern Virginia region.

RSVPs for the Potomac Nationals 21st Annual Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Sports Memorabilia Auction must be placed before the event, and tickets must be purchased in advance of the night's festivities as no payment for banquet tickets will be accepted at the door.

To place an RSVP, please contact Potomac Nationals Business Operations Manager, Shawna Hooke at 703-590-2311 ext. 212. Banquet guests are encouraged to leave a voicemail for Hooke detailing interest in placing a hot stove banquet RSVP.

Old Hickory Golf Club is located at: 11921 Chanceford Dr. in Woodbridge, Virginia, 22192.

Please call 703-590-2311 to receive more details on the 2016 P-Nats Hot Stove Banquet and Silent Auction at Old Hickory Golf Club.

Old Hickory Golf Club is the premier upscale golf course, wedding, and banquet facility in the Northern Virginia area. The course at Old Hickory Golf Club was designed to fit its site with great precision. The Par-72, 7,077-yard championship layout is the work of architect, Tim Freeland, who previously worked for the design firm of golf legend, Gary Player.

S.P.A.R.K.'s mission is to engage community partners to fund and promote initiatives that enhance educational excellence. Organizational priorities include: bolstering student achievement through the Innovative Grants program and other special projects, encouraging family involvement in education through the "SchoolFusion" online parent communication system, creating meaningful dialogue between the schools and the community, and uniting community resources to invest in public schools.

The Potomac Nationals of the Carolina League play at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, and are the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Potomac Nationals have claimed five Carolina League Championship titles (1982, 1989, 2008, 2010, and 2014) and nine CL Northern Division Championships. Potomac Nationals 2016 season tickets and mini plans are now on sale. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2016 season and beyond are available. Corporate outing reservations for the 2016 season to watch the future stars of the Washington Nationals at The Pfitz may be placed now as the P-Nats offer discounted group rates and all-inclusive picnics. Visit the P-Nats online at www.potomacnationals.com or call the Potomac Nationals Ticket Office at 703-590-2311 for more information!

-- Potomac Nationals --