Virtual Night of Champions to be presented Saturday, June 26
LUBBOCK, Texas – As the college baseball season nears its conclusion, the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) will take time this week to honor both past and present greats of the game with the 2021 Virtual Night of Champions.
The Virtual Night of Champions will be available at www.collegebaseballhall.org starting at 6 p.m. CDT on Saturday, June 26. The event will again be hosted by Dani Wexelman, who currently works as a host for MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. She previously has worked for Major League Baseball and various professional sports teams.
The event will feature the induction of the 2021 class of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame and the presentation of the winners of the CBF’s annual awards – the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year, the National Pitcher of the Year, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year and the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year.
“Although we wish we could have an in-person event this year, we are thrilled to be able to recognize the career achievements of our Hall of Fame inductees and the incredible seasons of each of our award winners,” said Mike Gustafson, CBF president and CEO. “As we have interacted with each of these men, it is clear why we do this. The excitement in the voices of the inductees and award winners is contagious and I am so glad we have a way to honor them again this year.”
The 2021 class of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame consists of 14 inductees: Rusty Adkins, a second baseman and outfielder at Clemson from 1965-67; Tom Brennan, a pitcher at Lewis University from 1971-74; Tim Burzette, a catcher at University of La Verne from 1976-78; Todd Helton, a first baseman and pitcher at Tennessee from 1993-95; Dave Keilitz, the director of the American Baseball Coaches Association from 1994-2014; Terry Kennedy, a catcher at Florida State from 1975-77; Robert “Bob” Lee, who coached at Southern University from 1949-61; Danny Litwhiler, who coached at Florida State and Michigan State 1955-82; Mark Marquess, who coached at Stanford from 1977-2017; Gregg Olson, a pitcher at Auburn from 1986-1988; Frank Quinn, a pitcher at Yale from 1945-48; Frank “Porky” Vieira, who coached at the University of New Haven from 1963-2006; and Dave Yeast, who worked as an umpire from 1982-2015.
The award winners who will be honored during the event are Cal Conley of Texas Tech, the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year; Kevin Kopps of Arkansas, the National Pitcher of the Year; Spencer Schwellenbach of Nebraska, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year; and Jeremy Sheetinger of Georgia Gwinnett College, the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year.
“This event is always a wonderful celebration of the game of college baseball,” Gustafson said. “We can’t wait to share this event with everyone and let them also celebrate the accomplishments of these men.”