All award winners will be recognized at the 74th Annual Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago Awards Banquet on Sunday, January 26th.
Harry Caray Sportscaster of the Year Award
The Harry Caray Sportscaster of the Year Award will be given to David Kaplan. Kaplan currently hosts Kap and Co. on ESPN 1000 and co-hosts Sports Talk Live on NBC Sports Chicago. He is the author of The Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Audacious Blueprint for a Cubs Dynasty. Kaplan was inducted into the WGN Radio Walk of Fame in May 2018.
College Player Award
Drake Fellows will receive the College Player Award. Fellows was selected in the 6th round of the 2019 baseball draft by the San Diego Padres. He played three seasons for Vanderbilt University after graduating from Joliet Catholic Academy. He is sixth all time in Vanderbilt history with 308 strikeouts, tied for second in school history single season wins with 13, while also leading the nation in 2019 with 13 wins and finishing eighth in strikeouts with 133.
Meritorious Service Award
Gary Pressy will receive the Meritorious Service Award. Pressy served as the Chicago Cubs organist for 33 years before retiring at the end of the 2019 season. During his time as the Cubs organist, Pressy never missed a game.
The Paul “Dizzy” Trout Ambassador Award
The Paul “Dizzy” Trout Ambassador Award will go to Ron Kittle. Kittle spent 10 years in Major League Baseball playing for the White Sox, Yankees, Indians, and Orioles. He was an All-Star and the AL Rookie of the Year in 1983 with the White Sox. He currently works as an Ambassador with the White Sox, working with Community Relations.
the Gordie Gillespie College
Ed Mathey will receive the Gordie Gillespie College Coach of the Year. He has compiled a 356-244-2 record over his 14 seasons at North Central College. In between stints at his alma mater, Mathey spent 12 seasons at Northern Illinois University, amassing 650 career wins over his 26 total seasons as a collegiate head coach.
Men’s Senior League Award
The Men’s Senior League Award will go to the Chicagoland Roy Hobbs Baseball League. The league is chartered through the national Roy Hobbs Baseball Association and adheres to the Roy Hobbs philosophy that all willing players deserve an opportunity to play organized baseball. The Chicagoland Roy Hobbs Baseball League serves the South-Southwest Chicago area and provides an opportunity for men to play amateur baseball in a locally competitive environment. It has 4 age divisions of play, 30+, 43+,53+ and 60+ and over 500 players. The Chicagoland Roy Hobbs League boasts 8 players in the Roy Hobbs Hall of Fame: Jack Deheer (2013), Joe Monari (2014), Vito Ruscio (2014), Marty Stanczyk (2015), Roger Laurella (2016), Frank Murphy (2016), Dominic Catinella (2017), and Bob Dearth (2019).
2020 Pitch & Hit Club 74th Annual Awards Banquet
The 2020 Pitch & Hit Club 74th Awards Banquet is scheduled for Sunday, January 26, 2020 at the Tinley Park Convention Center.
Tickets are now available for the 74th annual Pitch & Hit Club Awards Banquet.