Jeff Messer

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are well represented by Slippery Rock University.

Now The Rock is looking to use PNC Park as a means to increase the SRU baseball scholarship fund.

SRU will host an alumni reception at the ballpark April 27, when the Pirates host the San Francisco Giants, as part of its scholarship campaign to benefit the baseball program.

“We did this at a game last fall on very short notice and still had 50 people show up,” said SRU athletic development director Bill Richter. “Those people will tell other people and we’re expecting a larger turnout this time.”

Tickets are $20 and include admission to the Pirates Cove section in right field as well as a $10 credit at PNC concession stands.

Richter and SRU baseball coach Jeff Messer arranged for the reception after a lunch meeting with Rock graduates Chris Hunter and Jeff Podobnik.

Hunter, a 1994 graduate, is the senior director of ballpark operations for the Pirates. His brother, Chip Hunter, played for one of Messer’s teams that reached the Division II World Series.

Podobnik, a 1989 graduate, is the senior director of security and contact services with the Pirates.

“There are probably 15 to 20 SRU graduates working for the Pirates and we use plenty of interns from there,” said Podobnik, a sports management major. “I got started here as an intern myself.

“Chris and I liked what the university wanted to do here and we steered them to the right people to get it done.”

The Pirates provided the SRU baseball program with discounted tickets and an area for alumni to gather and socialize.

“Coach Messer was my advisior when I was in school and that baseball team has had plenty of success,” Hunter said. “I’m excited that the Pirate organization may be able to secure a few more scholarship dollars.”

Richter’s overall scholarship campaign is designed to match Rock baseball’s current $25,000 scholarship budget.

That’s nearly the equivalent of 1.4 full scholarships.

“We’re somewhere in the middle of the PSAC in terms of scholarship availability,” Messer said. “Obviously, we’re hoping this helps, but I’m more excited about having a venue like PNC Park as a way to bring our alumni together.

“We have a lot of baseball alumni still in this region and had never set up any formal gatherings like this.”

While Messer has been coaching The Rock since 1986, he said alumni in the area pre-date him.

“Players from the 1980s showed up at our reception last fall,” he said. “I think we can go back farther, well into the (previous SRU coach) Wally Rose era.”

Messer has won 787 games and taken four SRU teams to the Division II World Series.

To RSVP for the April 27 reception or to donate to the scholarship campaign, contact Richter at 724-738-2387 or email wrichter@srufoundation.org.