WASHINGTON - Head Coach Pete Wilk has announced that New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson will be this year's keynote speaker at the 11th annual First Pitch Dinner. The event, which will celebrate the beginning of the 2015 Georgetown baseball season and honor the 2014 team and its seniors, will take place on Saturday, February 7, in the Leo J. O'Donovan Dining Hall beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Alderson began in his role as the Mets' general manager following the 2010 season. Entering his fifth season with the Mets, Alderson has improved a depleted minor league system to one of the best in baseball, while also putting together an improved major league team on the field as the Mets have improved in the National League (NL) East standings in each year since 2011, finishing second in 2014. He has reduced the team's payroll significantly, ranking 22nd out of 30 teams on Opening Day of 2014 with a payroll of just over $89 million and has established one of the best, young pitching staffs in baseball behind 2013 All-Star Game starter Matt Harvey, 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Jason deGrom, Zack Wheeler and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball in Noah Syndergaard.

Prior to joining the Mets, Alderson spent time in the front office of two other major league organizations. From 2005-09 he served as the CEO of the San Diego Padres, where he helped lead the Padres to back-to-back National League West titles. Alderson broke into baseball in 1981 with the Oakland Athletics and was promoted to general manager prior to the 1983 season and held that position until 1998 when he left to work in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner's office. With the Athletics, Alderson helped rebuild the farm system, producing three-consecutive American League (AL) Rookies of the Year from 1986-88 (Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Walt Weiss) and four overall. Oakland won four AL West championships (1988, 89, 90, 92), and went to three-consecutive World Series (1988-90), winning the 1989 title.

Alderson has also spent two stints working in the MLB Commissioner's office. In 2010, he worked for Commissioner Bud Selig on the issues of corruption of baseball in the Dominican Republic. In his first stint, from 1998-2005, Alderson served as the executive vice president for baseball operations. Among other projects, he oversaw baseball operations, umpiring, on-field operations and security and facility management.

Before breaking in to baseball, Anderson was a lawyer after receiving his degree from Harvard Law School in 1976. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1969 and served four years in the Marines, including a tour of duty in Vietnam.

"Sandy Alderson has enjoyed success at every point of his career in Major League Baseball," said Wilk. "From his time in Oakland and San Diego, to now in New York, he has transformed each organization to be one of the best in baseball. We are honored and privileged to have him join us for our First Pitch Dinner."

Alderson joins a long list of celebrities that Wilk has secured to speak at the First Pitch Dinner over the past 10 years. Past speakers who have addressed the Hoyas include National Baseball Hall of Fame members Johnny Bench and Dave Winfield, current Baltimore Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette, current and former major league managers Terry Francona and Larry Bowa, former major league pitcher Jamie Moyer, former major league umpire Bruce Froemming, ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, 1980 U.S. Olympian Jim Craig, as well as Tim Russert from NBC's Meet the Press.

The Hoyas open the 2015 season on the weekend of February 13-15 at the Wake Forest Invitational where they will play VCU, Bucknell and Delaware. Last week, both junior catcher Nick Collins (Carthage, N.C./Union Pines) and senior left-handed pitcher Matt Hollenbeck were voted to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.