1.21.25 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Brian Snitker, manager of the Atlanta Braves and 2021 World Series champion, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Mercer baseball team’s 16th Annual First Pitch Classic on January 21 in Hawkins Arena.
The First Pitch Classic serves as the Mercer baseball program’s premier fundraising event, and has marked the official start of the season for the last 15 years. Tickets to this year’s event can be purchased for $100, and include dinner as well as a cash bar that will be open throughout the event’s entirety. A raffle has been included in the night’s agenda as well.
The 16th Annual First Pitch Classic will begin with an autograph session at 5:30 p.m., with dinner following at 7 p.m. Tables (10 seats) for the event can be purchased for $1,000, while limited-quantity sponsorships, which include prominent business advertisements, drink tickets and 2025 season tickets, can be pre-purchased as well.
Snitker has served as Atlanta’s skipper since 2016, compiling a record of 735-582. Since taking the reins in Atlanta, Snitker has established himself as one of the game’s finest managers, guiding the Braves to the playoffs every year since 2018, including six consecutive National League East crowns from 2018-2023. Snitker was named National League Manager of the Year in 2018 after helping the Braves post an 18-win improvement from the previous season and win their first National League East title since 2013. After knocking on the door of the World Series in 2020, Snitker steered Atlanta to baseball’s pinnacle in 2021, capturing the club’s first World Series championship in 26 years. Snitker helped the Braves win 100 games in 2022 and 2023, including a high-water mark of 104 wins in the 2023 campaign.
As a player, Snitker spent four seasons in the Braves’ minor league system. He began his coaching career with Atlanta in 1980 and was hired as a minor league manager in the Braves’ farm system in 1982. Snitker has spent his entire coaching career with the organization, serving as a minor league manager as well as the big-league club’s bullpen coach and third base coach. He spent the 1992, 1997 and 1998 seasons as the manager of the Macon Braves, Atlanta’s former Single-A affiliate.
For more information on tickets, table reservations or sponsorships for the 2025 First Pitch Classic, contact Matt Williams at firstpitchclassic@mercer.edu or (478) 301-2738.