The Stetson baseball team, under first year head coach Steve Trimper, opened preparation for the 2017 season on Friday with the first practice and scrimmage of the spring.
 
While the Hatters will continue to work as they prepare to open the 100^th season of Stetson baseball on February 17, Hatters fans can mark their calendars for Tuesday night, February 7, as a chance to get to meet the new coach and the players at the annual Dick Westervelt First Pitch Banquet.
 
The event will be held at the Wayne Sanborn Activity Center at 815 South Alabama Avenue.
 
The evening will actually get started at 4 p.m. just up the street from the Sanborn Center at Melching Field. The Hatters will take batting practice from 4-5 p.m. At 4:30 Coach Trimper will give all in attendance a tour of the Stetson Baseball offices and locker room areas.
 
Activities will move to the Sanborn Center at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour scheduled until 7 p.m. with a cash bar available. Dinner will be served at 7:15p p.m. with the program for the evening, including the introduction of the 2017 Hatters along with the presentation of awards from the 2016 season, set to begin at 8 p.m.
 
Ticket for the First Pitch Banquet at $15 per person and fans who wish to attend are encouraged to RSVP to Stacy Turner by calling 386-822-8100 or emailing to slturner@stetson.edu. Space at the banquet is limited, so reserve your spot as soon as possible.
 
The Hatters will open the 2017 season with an eight-game home stand featuring a three-game series against Southern Illinois (Feb. 17-19), two games against Siena University (Feb. 21-22) and a three-game series against High Point University (Feb. 24-26). Stetson enters the 2017 season just six wins shy of 2,000 all-time victories in program history.
 
Season tickets for the 2017 season, as well as individual game tickets, are available now by visiting the Stetson Athletics Ticket Office in the Edmunds Center, going online to GoHatters.com/tix, emailing HatterTickets@Stetson.edu or calling 386-738-HATS (4287).
 
Season tickets are available for as little as $75 for general admission, up to $175 for box reserved seats for the entire 34-game home schedule, plus three additional games at the Westin Lake Mary Stetson Invitational (March 3-5).
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.