Games will be played at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for tomorrow at the Urban Youth Academy has been cancelled
HOUSTON, TX – Tomorrow’s Urban Invitational games, originally scheduled to be played at the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy, have been moved to Minute Maid Park because of impending weather conditions. The games have been rescheduled for 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. start times. Admission to tomorrow’s games at Minute Maid Park is free to the public.
The Astros and Major League Baseball also had a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Academy, which has been rescheduled as a media availability at 11 a.m. at Minute Maid Park. The Astros and MLB will make the following individuals available to the media in the Astros press conference room:
George Postolos – President & CEO, Houston Astros
Jimmie Lee Solomon – Executive Vice President, Baseball Development, Major League Baseball
Sylvester Turner – Representative, Texas House of Representatives
Daryl Wade – Manager, Houston Astros Urban Youth Academy
Following Friday’s games, the Urban Invitational will continue as scheduled with three games at Minute Maid Park on Saturday (start times below) and three games at the Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy on Sunday. The 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. games on Saturday will also be aired nationally on MLB Network.
In addition to the three games on Saturday, MLB and the Astros will host a “battle of the bands” competition between Texas Southern’s “Ocean of Soul” and Prairie View A&M University’s “Marching Storm” at Minute Maid Park. The performances are scheduled for 6 p.m.
Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist Jennifer Holliday and recording artist Paris Bennett are also on the ticket for Saturday. Bennett will sing the National Anthem before the first pitch of the scheduled 3 p.m. game. Holliday, a Houston, Texas native and HBCU alumnus at Texas Southern University, will perform “America the Beautiful” before the final game of the day, which is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tickets to the games and events at Minute Maid Park on Saturday will be available to the general public for $5.00, with parking available for $5.00. There is a special ticket package available for $10.00, which will allow access to the ballpark and provide a concession voucher for a hot dog and soda. Fans can purchase tickets at Astros.com/community or at the Astros Box Office. High School students with a valid student ID and children 12 and under will be admitted to the ballpark for free.
Sunday’s games at the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy at Sylvester Turner Park will be available on game day for a suggested $5.00 donation. High School students with a valid student ID and children 12 and under will be admitted free. All proceeds from the ticket donations at the Academy will benefit the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Foundation, which is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) corporation.
2012 Urban Invitational Schedule*
Fri., Feb. 17 Southern U. vs. Prairie View A&M 8 a.m.
Alabama St. vs. UC Irvine 11 a.m.
TSU vs. Grambling St. 2 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 18 Grambling St. vs. Alabama St. 11 a.m.
Southern U. vs. UC Irvine 3 p.m.
Prairie View A&M vs. TSU 7 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 19 UC Irvine vs. TSU 11 a.m.
Alabama St. vs. Southern U. 2:30 p.m.
Grambling St. vs. Prairie View A&M 6 p.m.
(home teams listed second)
* – times subject to change