Hooks legend and two-time World Series champion Hunter Pence headlines the 19th South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet, set for Thursday, January 23 at the American Bank Center.
Hosted inside the Henry Garrett Ballroom, the event is presented by Whataburger and honors Coastal Bend baseball and softball standouts from high school through the pro ranks.
Doors open at 6 PM and reserved seats are priced at $75. Click Here to purchase online. Tickets may also be secured by calling 361-561-HOOK (4665) or by visiting the Whataburger Field Box Office.
A national sports broadcaster, Pence, 41, played 14 seasons as a Major League outfielder, earning four all-star selections and World Series titles with San Francisco in 2012 and 2014.
Signed by the Houston Astros after being their second-round pick in 2004, Pence led Corpus Christi to a Texas League title in 2006, hitting .283 with 67 extra-base hits, 95 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 136 games. His 28 home runs are the Hooks single-season standard.
Presented with an opportunity to play for Team USA during the 2006 season, Pence elected to remain with Corpus Christi for the playoffs. In seven postseason games, he batted .387 with five doubles and nine RBIs as the Hooks bested Midland and Wichita to take the TL crown.
The UT-Arlington product made his Major League debut on April 28, 2007, with Pence going on to hit .322 with 30 doubles, nine triples, 17 homers, 69 RBIs in 108 games for the Astros, placing him third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Pence starred in parts of five campaigns with Houston before being traded to Philadelphia in 2011. Shipped at the 2012 deadline, he began an eight-year tenure with the Giants by batting .286 in the Fall Classic as San Francisco swept Detroit.
Pence played all 162 games in each of his first two full seasons for the Giants. During the 2014 World Series, he batted .444 to lift San Francisco to its third title over a five-year span.
Toting a .279 career batting average, Pence won four Heart and Hustle Awards, which are voted on by MLB alums and presented annually to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.
Pence and his wife Alexis have used their platform to support underserved youth and environmental efforts. Founder of the Healthy Planet Project, Hunter is co-owner of Coral Sword Gaming Café in Houston as well as Pineapple Labs, a coffee and lifestyle brand.
SOURCE: Corpus Christi Hooks news release