January 21, 2009

BIANCO HEADLINES NORTHEAST FIRST PITCH BANQUET

BOONEVILLE, Miss. --University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Head Baseball Coach Mike Bianco will be the keynote speaker at Northeast Mississippi Community College’s “First Pitch Banquet” on Thursday, January 22, at 7 p.m.

The “First Pitch Banquet” kicks off the season for the Northeast Mississippi Community College and allows members of the community to meet the 2009 baseball team.

WTVA sportscaster Marlin Williams will serve as emcee for the event.

In the seven seasons since taking the reins of the program, Bianco has meet all his expectation as Ole Miss Baseball has become one of the nation’s benchmark programs.

With six post-season appearances in seven years, including hosting four-straight Regional’s and playing in  three straight Super Regional’s in 2005, 2006 and 2007, Ole Miss has continued to rank among the nation’s elite each season under Bianco.

Under the leadership of Bianco, the Rebels have posted three-straight 40-win seasons from 2005-2007 for the first time in school history and have won at least 35 games each of the last seven seasons.

In the Southeastern Conference, the nation’s toughest baseball league, Ole Miss leads all teams for conference wins over the past five seasons and is the only team to have posted a winning record in league play each year since 2003.

Bianco has also led the Rebels to championships as Ole Miss won the Western Division Title in 2005 and followed that up a year later with the 2006 SEC Tournament Championship.

Bianco was inducted into the Indian River Community College Hall of Fame in 2003.

“We would like to encourage everyone to attend the banquet and hear coach Bianco and enjoy the evening as we prepare for the upcoming season”, said Northeast head baseball coach Kent Farris.

The banquet will be held in the Claude Wright Room on the second floor of the Haney Union on the Northeast campus.

Advance tickets for the Northeast Mississippi Community College First Pitch Banquet are $15 and can be purchased by contacting any Northeast baseball player, diamond girl or NEMCC head coach Kent Farris at 662-720-7309.

Tickets include a buffet dinner.

Checks should be made payable to the NEMCC Development Foundation, and should be mailed to: Northeast Mississippi Community College, 101 Cunningham Boulevard, Booneville, MS, 38829, Attn. Kent Farris

Tickets will be sold at the doors of the Claude Wright Room on January 22 for $20.
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