Evansville Otters Baseball

Otters to open 17th Season in Evansville at Historic Bosse Field

Evansville, IN May 16, 2010 – In just four days the Evansville Otters will open their 17th season at historic Bosse Field. The Otters will be taking on Florence Freedom on Friday May 20th at 6:35 PM.

“For the past eleven years, Fifth Third Bank has helped set the tone for the season by sponsoring an opening night full of fun events," says Otters President Bill Bussing. "Fans at Friday night's game are in for a treat."

The Otters will join longtime corporate partner Fifth Third Bank in presenting an opening night that celebrates baseball, demonstrates fan appreciation and embraces community outreach. The first 5,000 fans entering the ballpark will receive a magnet schedule, and Fifth Third Bank will distribute buckets to the first 600 kids for use in the popular 53,000 penny pick up, which follows the game.

Fifth Third Bank and the Otters are also collaborating on a huge food drive, for which they hope to collect 5,300 meals to benefit the Tri-State Food Bank. Fans can drop off non-perishable items at any tri-state Fifth Third location and receive free opening night tickets. Fans can also bring two non-perishable items to Bosse Field to receive a ticket to the evening’s game. Fans who bring cans to the game will also be entered into a drawing, as five lucky people will win $53 in Otterbucks courtesy of Fifth Third Bank. Also new this year will be a return to white home jerseys for the Otters. The Otters and Fifth Third will be auctioning off a jersey with proceeds from the jersey auction going to the Tri State Food Bank as well. “We know that many area residents depend on the Tri-State Food Bank during these challenging economic times, so it’s a real pleasure to support their efforts while celebrating another exciting season of Otters baseball,” offered Lloyd Winnecke, Senior Vice President and Marketing Director for Fifth Third Bank. “I’m confident that the generosity of Otters fans will really shine through on opening night. We look forward to collecting a lot of food to benefit those most in need in our community,” Winnecke said.

Nick Hill, who participates in the Tri-State Food Bank’s ever-growing Kids Café, will represent Fifth Third Bank by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Pre-game festivities will also include local fan favorite Gina Moore singing the National Anthem