"Each year, I am amazed by the caliber of speaker that we are able to attract here in Youngstown and this year is no different" said YSU head coach Dan Bertolini. "Anytime you can be around a Hall of Fame baseball player it is extremely special. We are also fortunate to have so many great former players that have done remarkable things, and Rick is no exception. The staff and players are looking forward to another amazing event!"

 

The event will also provide fans the opportunity to meet the 2024 Penguins baseball squad, enjoy a breakfast buffet and bid in live and silent auctions on an impressive lineup of Major League Baseball memorabilia, unique experiences and YSU baseball gear. A breakfast ticket will also provide entrance into a door prize drawing, which will be for two different door prizes. The first prize will be an autographed bat signed by the 2024 YSU baseball team. The second prize will be four 2024 season tickets for Youngstown State baseball home games.

 

General admission tickets are $50 apiece. Premium Reserved tables are also available for $600 and include 10 breakfast/raffle tickets and premium seating at the First Pitch Breakfast. Fans also have the opportunity to join the speakers and the YSU baseball staff for dinner on Friday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. at Michael Alberini's in Boardman for an additional $200 per guest. Please note there are limited tickets available for Friday's exclusive dinner.

 

For the breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 3, doors will open and the buffet will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the program commencing at 9.

 

Gossage played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for nine different teams between 1972 and 1994. He led the American League in saves three times and was runner-up twice. Gossage finished his career ranking fourth all-time with 310 career saves. At the time of his retirement, he also ranked third in career games pitched (1,002), third in wins in relief (115) and innings pitched in relief (1,556.2). Gossage's 1,502 career strikeouts place him behind only Hoyt Wilhelm among pitchers who pitched primarily in relief. From 1977 through 1983, he never recorded an earned run average over 2.62, including a mark of 0.77 in 1981. In 1980, Gossage finished third in AL voting for both the MVP Award and Cy Young Award while helping lead the New York Yankees to a division title.

 

Gossage recorded the final out to clinch a division, league, or World Series title seven times. He was on the mound when the Yankees captured the World Series title against the Los Angeles Dodgers for their second consecutive championship in 1978. Gossage's eight All-Star selections as a reliever were a record until Mariano Rivera passed him in 2008; he was also selected once as a starting pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Gossage, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the ninth round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut for the White Sox on April 16, 1972.

 

Muntean, who played baseball at YSU in 1975, has over 30 years of baseball front office experience. The Youngstown, Ohio, native spent 15 years as assistant general manager and general manager with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, the former Triple-A affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies. Muntean also spent several years with the Williamsport Bills, a former Double-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians in Williamsport, Pa. He is a former Northern League Executive of the Year, winning the award while with the Northern League's Kanas City T-Bones in 2004. Muntean also served as general manager for the Lake Erie Crushers (Avon, Ohio) in the independent Frontier League.

 

Muntean served as the general manager for the Bristol Blues, a summer collegiate team, for two seasons from 2015-16. He earned the Futures Collegiate League Executive of the Year award following the franchise's inaugural season in 2015. Muntean also served as general manager for the Nashua Silver Nights, a collegiate summer baseball team based in Nashua, N.H. In addition, he owned and operated the St. Joseph's Mustangs summer collegiate team in Missouri. Muntean is a 1974 graduate of the former Woodrow Wilson High School in Youngstown. He earned his undergraduate degree in communications from Ohio University.