Sussex Skyhawks News

Published on May 7, 2008 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Sussex Skyhawks News Release


Opening Day coming soon!!

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With opening day right around the corner, things are getting busy here at Skylands Park. Players have started arrive, cleats have been laced up, uniforms donned and the 2008 Skyhawks are gearing up for a fun and exciting season. With a wealth of talent on the field and a number of upgrades to the stadium, 2008 is figuring to be our best season yet. Opening day is just two weeks away, with the first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 7:05 on Thursday, May 22nd.

We wanted to update you on some exciting things coming up. We have our exhibition game on Wednesday May 14th at 6:30 PM against the New Jersey Jackals. Tickets for the exhibition game are $5 and are on-sale now. If you are a mini-plan or season ticket holder there is an exclusive pre-game picnic so make sure you call an RSVP.

Our season kicks off on May 22nd with NASCAR night, featuring an appearance by the #3 car once driven by Dale Earnhardt and we are following that up with a fireworks night on Friday the 23rd. We have plenty of other stuff in store for you as well this summer. We're giving away iPod's, TV's, Vacations and numerous other goodies. Every Tuesday night is $1 beer and soda and on August 10th we will be hosting the first wedding in the history of Skylands Park which promises to be exciting. Make sure you stop by the website, www.sussexskyhawks.com to stay up to date on all of our news, promotions, scores and more and we look forward to seeing you at the stadium this summer for the best season of Skyhawks baseball yet!!!

S.C.I.L. Baseball Tournament Returns to Skylands Park

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Sussex Skyhawks General Manager, Ben Wittkowski announced that the 2008 Sussex County Coaches Baseball Tournament will be held at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey.

The 4-year old tournament which features the nine varsity high school (High Point, Hopatcong, Kittatiny Regional, Lenape Valley, Newton, Pope John XXIII, Sparta, Vernon, & Walkill Valley), baseball teams in Sussex County will begin with a play in game between the 8th & 9th seeds at the higher seeds home field on Saturday, May 10th.

The action heats up at Skylands Park with a pair of doubleheaders on Thursday May 15th and Friday May 16th. Both days will feature two games, one starting at 4 P.M. followed by the second at 7 P.M. The Semi-Finals will take place at 2 P.M. and 5 P.M. on Saturday May 17th, followed by a 2 P.M. final on Sunday for the SCIL Boys Baseball title.

Tickets for all games are $3 and can be purchased in advance by calling 973-300-1000.

Skylands Park is the home of the Sussex Skyhawks (Can-Am League) professional baseball team, the Sussex County Community College Skylanders, and the Centenary College Cyclones. With a seating capacity of 4,358 and ten luxury suites, Skylands Park has drawn over 1.6 million fans through its gates since its opening. There have been over 50 major league baseball players to play on its field, as well as the Big East Baseball Championship in 1995 and the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Other notable events include an Alabama concert, the September 11th Memorial, and an appearance by King Kong Bundy & Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.

The Skyhawks open the 2008 season at home Thursday, May 22nd against the Worcester Tornadoes. Game time is set for a 7:05 start. For a complete schedule of all 2008 Skyhawks promotions, log onto our website at www.sussexskyhawks.com, and don't forget parking is FREE for the 2008 season.

Skyhawks Looking better on the field!

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This has been an interesting off season for the Skyhawks as we have made great strides to improve our team on the field. The first was hiring a superb manager in former National League Manager of the Year Hal Lanier. Lanier took the 1986 Astros to the NLCS, orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in major league history before losing to the eventual World Champion New York Mets. We have also added three time All-Star David Cash as our hitting coach, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos and helped guide the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series Championship.

The Sussex Skyhawks also announced the signing of former Baltimore Oriole first baseman/designated hitter Walter Young. Young appeared in 14 games for the Baltimore squad in 2005, batting .303 while driving in 3 runs and hitting 1 home run. Young is a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi who turned down a football scholarship from LSU to sign with the Pittsburg Pirates. Young worked his way up through the minor league system, eventually hitting 150 home runs and driving in 621 runs throughout his minor league career, including a personal best of 33 home runs with the Bowie BaySox during the 2004 campaign, which lead to an appearance for him in the Eastern League All-Star game. Young, who is best known for his large size and his ability to hit towering home runs, eventually lost his spot on the Oriole roster to Kevin Millar but Young got right back on track and in 2007 he hit .313 with 21 home runs, 78 RBI's, and 120 hits for the Winnipeg Goldeneyes of the Northern League.

The Skyhawks also signed ex-major leaguer Yohanny Valera who played for the Montreal Expos. We also added a number of talent from the affiliated minor league system and have put together a team that we feel will compete for a league title this season.

Contact Information

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Give us a Call:973-300-1000

Or join us on the web: www.sussexskyhawks.com

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Canadian American League Stories from May 7, 2008


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