The Pitch and Hit Club would like to extend its condolences to the family of our board member Dave Cook on the loss of Dave's father, Charles Cook, who passed away recently at the age of 97 1/2. Our thoughts are with you. 

The date has been set for the next Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago Awards Dinner. It will take place Sunday, January 30, 2011. Check back here frequently for more updates on guests, honorees, ticket information and other exciting announcements regarding the dinner. 
 

Members of the Pitch & Hit Club enjoyed a beautiful night for baseball  on June 17 in Joliet as they saw the Jackhammers in action at Silver Cross Field.
View photos from the evening. 

The Pitch & Hit Club would like to extend a special congratulations to coach Jeff Moeller and Westminster Christian for winning the class 1A State Championship (pictured right, holding trophy).

They defeated Goreville by a score of 15-5 in the championship game.

Moeller is a member of the Pitch & Hit Club. 



 

 Bridget Venturi Veenema is a two-time IBAF World Cup gold medalist as a captain (2004) and an all-tournament selection (2006), and as a bronze medalist (2008) on the USA Baseball Women's National Team. 

Long-time Pitch & Hit Club member Len DiForte was honored recently by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association at the organization’s 32nd Annual Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame Dinner.  

Now, you can become a fan of the Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago on Facebook. Keep in touch with the latest information regarding meetings, events and other news.

Plus, you can connect with other Pitch & Hit Club members. Click here to see the Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago's Facebook page.
 

For the second consecutive year, a member of the Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as Jim Hall will be honored in January, 2011. 

Last month, Terry Ayers received the honor. 

Hall most recently coached at Lockport High School, winning two football state titles and one baseball state championship in 2005. He is currently the Team Illinois Under 18 coach for the Great Lakes National Teams.


 

Pitch & Hit Club secretary Terry Ayers was recently inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was part of the 2010 Hall of Fame class which was enshrined at the annual ABCA Convention in Dallas, Tex. on Jan. 8. 

Ayers was the baseball coach at  Fenton High School in Bensenville, Ill. from 1972-1981 and produced over 300 wins during that span. In 2009, he was honored with the Pitch & Hit Club's Charlie Hum Club Service Award. 
 

Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins was the featured speaker and Ryne Sandberg (pictured above) joined Fergie atop the list of baseball royalty at the 64th Annual Awards Banquet held by the Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago on Sunday, Jan. 17 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Photo by Cliff Doll. More photos.

Click here for a list of this year's Award Winners and Presenters. The event was emceed by Dave Kaplan of WGN Radio. 

To purchase photos from this year's dinner or past dinner, click here. Thanks to Cliff Doll at Action Sports Photos for his great work. 

 
Henry Gigeous, who was honored with the Bo Jackson Courage award at this year's Pitch & Hit Club Awards Dinner, was featured recently in a story on MLB.com. He is a pitcher and infielder for H.D. Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Ill.

Gigeous is the younger brother of Nick Adenhart, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident last April following a great pitching performance for the Los Angeles Angels.
 

Longtime Chicago sportswriter and talk show host Bill Gleason died on Sunday at the age of 87. The Pitch & Hit Club's Sportswriter of the Year Award is named for Gleason, who emceed numerous Pitch & Hit Club dinners throughout the years. 

Gleason wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times for 60 years and later hosted the talk show "The Sports Writers" which began as a radio show in 1975 and later became  "The Sports Writers on TV" from 1985-1997. 

Rick Telander from the Sun-Times remembers Gleason.
 

Its time to sign up for membership for the Pitch & Hit Club for 2010. With your membership, you can:

- Rub elbows with the likes of current professional players, coaches and management as well as other local baseball personalities. 
Attend meetings at Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field and other local ballparks (food included). 
- Have a chance to nominate players, coaches, scouts, front office staff and others for annual awards. 
- Receive monthly newsletter about club events and general announcements. 
- Work with the best high school players in the state at our annual showcases. 
- Know the area scouts and college coaches in a social setting. 
- Opportunity to network with other club members. 
- Gain special privileges at club's High School Showcases. 
- Receive discounts on club wearables

And now, you can sign up for membership online here.

 Kevin Kozial and Justin O'Connor, both of whom took part in the Pitch & HIt Club showcase last fall will play in All-America games this summer. 

 
Click here for more photos of the 1st Annual Pitch & Hit Club Chicago Public League showcase. Scouts, click for 60-yard dash times for Red team and Grey team.  

 

Seventeen players who at one time participated in the Pitch & Hit Club Showcase were taken in last week's Major League Baseball first year player draft. 

2008 Showcase players drafted - 9

#168  Seth Schwindenhammer - Red Sox
#230  Blair Springfield - Cubs
#740  Gerardo Esquivel - Cubs
#920  Dan Sheppard - Cubs
#1068  Matt Milroy - Red Sox
#1076  Scott Firth - Orioles
#1093  Ryan Crowley - White Sox
#1222  Dane Opel - Nationals
#1435  Blake Brown - Pirates

Previous Showcase Players Drafted: 8

#213  Ian Krol - Athletics
#337  Connor Powers- Dodgers
#481  Dom Altobelli - Rockies
#487  Michael Pericht - Dodgers
#606  Adam Worthington - Diamondbacks
#692  Scott Kelley - Royals
#853  Robert Cummings - White Sox
#1393  Grant Monroe - White Sox

Pete Caliendo, President of the Chicago Pitch & Hit Club pictured here with baseball legend Minnie Minoso, recently addressed the state of baseball around the world, developing young ballplayers and coaching.
Click here to read the Q&A article. 
 

John Vrablik, former minor league catcher and longtime member of the Pitch & Hit Club, has died.

A graduate of Schurz High School, Vrablik signed with the Cubs in 1942 and at one time caught his brother, pitcher Steve Vrablik with Janesville. The two are pictured in the newspaper photo to the left.

After serving in the Army, Vrablik was a catcher in the Cleveland Indians organization in 1947 and 1948 before joining the White Sox organization in 1949.

Visitation for John Vrablik is at the Skaja Terrace Funeral Home, 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

John's son Tom Vrablik remembers his father and the time they spent together at Pitch & Hit Club dinners through the years. 


 

The Pitch & Hit Club held its 63rd Annual Awards Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Among the award winners were White Sox slugger Jim Thome (above) and Minnie Minoso. The emcee for the evening was Chicago Cubs radio announcer Pat Hughes. More Photos 

Click here to view and purchase photos from the 2009 Awards Dinner.

 

Charlie Hum, a fifty year member and someone who epitomizes the club passed away. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Charlie’s family. Many Pitch and Hit Officers, Board members and members attended the wake and funeral.

An award will be named in Charlie’s name, the Charlie Hum Pitch and Hit Service award. It will be presented  the evening of the 63rd annual dinner.

Club Member Len DiForte and Peter Caliendo meet State Representative and Member of the Pitch and Hit Club Patricia Bellock at her Hinsdale office to discuss club business.

 

Club member Len Diforte, who went through a quintuple bypass surgery nine months ago, visits the Hoosier Bat Company along with President Peter Caliendo and members Ron Kittle and Herb Forkenbrock.

They took a guided  tour given by owners Debbie and Dave Cook, two of the club's biggest supporters.  Visit the Hoosier Bat Company web site at: www.hoosierbat.com.

 

Club President Pete Caliendo with US President Bush at the 2008 Olympics

Check back often as we will be setting up our online store where members can purchase club apparel (hats, shirts, jackets, etc) as well as tickets to the annual dinner.