ECSU BASEBALL TO HOST INAUGURAL 1st PITCH GALA April J. Emory 01/20/12 Former Major League Pitcher Wayne Gomes Will Be Guest Speaker ELIZABETH CITY, NC- The Elizabeth City State University baseball team will officially kick off the 2011 season with the Inaugural 1st Pitch Gala on Thursday, February 2 at the K.E. White Graduate Center The program will begin at 6:00pm. The Gala will serve as a fundraising initiative for the Viking Baseball program, including the ECSU baseball field. The event will also feature a guest speaker in former Major League pitcher Wayne Gomes. A native of Hampton, VA and a 1990 graduate of Phoebus High school, Gomes played his college career at Old Dominion University. In 1993 the relief specialist was the highest Monarch player ever selected in the baseball draft. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him as the fourth overall pick in the first round. He spent six years in the Major Leagues (1997-2002) with the Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. The Vikings will open the 2012 season on Saturday February 4th in Elizabeth City versus Ohio Valley University. Tickets for the Gala are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. For more information contact the ECSU baseball office at 335-3392.