SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State baseball will host its 11th annual First Pitch and Reunion Night on Saturday, Jan. 26, with former Bear and current New York Yankee slugger Luke Voit set to return to Springfield as the featured guest speaker, head coach Keith Guttin announced Friday.

The event will take place at the Bill Rowe Training Facility at Hammons Field at 6 p.m., to help the Bears kick off the 2019 season, which opens Feb. 15 in San Marcos, Texas. Highlighting the evening's events will be a program featuring Voit, who was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection during his MSU playing career, as well as a special tribute to Missouri State's 1969 and 1970 NCAA Division II (College Division) College World Series clubs.

The 2019 Bears will be on hand to sign autographs and distribute schedule cards, and current and former Missouri State baseball alumni who have gone on to professional careers will also be in attendance. Additionally, silent and live auctions featuring sporting and non-sporting memorabilia and other giveaways will be conducted. A menu of ballpark food and soft drinks will be provided for all in attendance.

All 2019 Bears Baseball season-ticket holders – including new orders and renewals placed by Jan. 22 – will be entitled to the same number of complementary tickets to this year's First Pitch event. Individual tickets for the event are on sale now for $20 each and are available through the Missouri State Baseball office by calling (417) 836-4497 or emailing KeithGuttin@MissouriState.edu. Payment will be accepted by cash or check made payable to MSU Baseball. Credit card orders will be processed through the Missouri State Foundation by calling (417) 836-4143.

Voit, a two-time Johnny Bench Award candidate during his MSU career that spanned 2010-13, completed his second season in the big leagues this fall. The Wildwood, Mo., native hit .322 with 15 home runs in 47 combined major league games with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees in 2018. Voit played a pivotal role down the stretch, helping propel the Yankess to an eventual ALCS appearance, hitting .333 with 14 homers and 33 RBIs in just 39 regular-season games following his trade from the Cardinals just ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Primarily a catcher during his time with the Bears, Voit helped MSU snap a nine-year NCAA postseason drought in 2012, when he hit .298 with career-best totals of six homers and 46 RBIs for a club that went 40-22 and earned a berth in the Coral Gables (Fla.) Regional. The following year, he batted .299 in leading the Bears to a 31-win season before being drafted by St. Louis in the 22nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Voit ranks 11th on the Bears' all-time doubles list (48) and 17th on MSU's career hits list (226).

This spring marks the golden anniversary of Missouri State's first postseason-qualifying club in the sport of baseball, the Bears' 1969 national runner-up squad. MSU swept the Midwest Regional field in Mankato, Minn., earning a 'trip' to the CWS in Springfield, which hosted the event at Meador Park. The Bears posted a pair of wins over Florida Southern before falling in the national title game to Illinois State, finishing the campaign with a 27-10 overall mark. The following spring, head coach Bill Rowe's team completed an encore run through the postseason, capturing its second straight MIAA Championship and Midwest Regional crown, before winning one of its three games at the national meet, which was once again staged on the Bears' home turf at Meador.

Renewal information for current season-ticket holders has been mailed and include packages for lower-level reserved chairback seats for $100 (general public), $50 for Missouri State faculty and staff and $20 for students. Eight-game mini-packages will also be offered for $32 per ticket. Additionally, MSU is offering free season-long admission for up to two children (ages 12 and under) with the purchase of two 2019 season tickets. The Bears will also offer a '6-Pack Special' again this spring. Purchase six or more season tickets and receive a 25-percent discount, making the ticket price just $75 per season ticket.

Seating at Hammons Field will once again feature reserved tickets in the first 10 rows of the lower grandstand, while rows 11-24 will be sold as general admission seating for all Missouri State home games.

Bears' single-game tickets for the 2019 season, which will also go on-sale in February, will be priced at $6 for the general public, $3 for Missouri State faculty and staff, $2 for students and special rates are offered for groups of 20 or more. All children ages 12 and under not accompanied by a season-ticket holder will require a $2 ticket for admission. Students must show a valid and current BearPass Card along with a student ticket to gain entry to Hammons Field.

For additional season ticket information or to place your order in person, visit the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena during normal box office hours, call (417) 836-7678 or (888) 476-7849 (toll-free). Requests may also be placed online through MissouriStateBears.com, or by calling Duane Miller at (417) 836-8899.