March 24, 2016
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The yearly University of Notre Dame softball Strikeout Cancer weekend celebration brings the Irish softball program and community together in support of pediatric cancer patients. This year’s event will be no different, as the sixth annual Strikeout Cancer series will feature nationally ranked Notre Dame and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rival Louisville taking part in a doubleheader on April 30 at Melissa Cook Stadium.
The ACC series is set to begin with a 1 p.m. (ET) first pitch on April 30 between the Irish and Cardinals with Notre Dame incorporating the color orange, symbolic with pediatric cancer, into its uniform design for the day. Guests from Memorial Children’s Hospital will have an opportunity to run the bases, throw out the game’s first pitch and much more on-field with the Notre Dame players prior to the game.
Other game day activities during the 2016 Strikeout Cancer series will include the pop a shot, target toss and crowd favorite Tatum Toss games, and a bounce house, taco truck and more will be set up outside of Melissa Cook Stadium. Memorial patients will also receive a special gift bag complete with a t-shirt and other surprises. The traditional silent auction and ever-popular postgame home run derby round out the Saturday attractions.
Any Memorial Hospital patients interested in signing up to take part in Strikeout Cancer pregame activities are asked to contact either Cathy Reese or Becky Wachs for additional information.
Kicking off the weekend celebration will be the traditional Strikeout Cancer Trivia Night on April 29 at 7 p.m. at the St. Joseph Farm in Granger. This year’s event has completely SOLD OUT, but a number of table and round sponsorship opportunities are still available.
Individuals and businesses are encouraged to sponsor a trivia table for $100, which includes name and company logo displayed on the table itself and throughout the venue. Trivia round sponsorships, which include both verbal announcement and printed display within the venue, are available for $250. For additional information on Strikeout Cancer sponsorship opportunities, contact Notre Dame softball director of operations Kasey O’Connor at 574-631-3750 or by email at koconn17@nd.edu.
All proceeds raised during Strikeout Cancer continue to directly benefit the children and families battling pediatric cancer at Memorial Hospital. Since the debut of the initiative in 2011, the Notre Dame softball program has raised more than $140,000 during the first five Strikeout Cancer weekends.
For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.