Jan. 12, 2012

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter will headline the 2012 Maryland Baseball Leadoff Banquet, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

A variety of ticket options are available and can be found here. The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a VIP reception that offers the chance to meet and greet former and current MLB players, as well as Maryland baseball players and coaches. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. with the program to follow at 8 p.m., including a Q&A session with Showalter.

Showalter, who was named manager of the Orioles in August 2010, has a 985-949 record in 13 seasons with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and the Orioles.

A two-time Manager of the Year (1994 and 2004), Showalter's 985 wins entering the 2012 season are the fifth-most among active major league managers and tied for 60th all-time.

In November 1995, Showalter joined the Arizona Diamondbacks, 28 months before the expansion franchise began play, and helped shape the new team's Major League operations. In 1999, he guided the Diamondbacks to a 100-win season and the National League West division title, an improvement of 35 victories over the previous season, the most in Major League history. He also had a stint with the Texas Rangers.

The 2012 Leadoff Banquet will be the second under the leadership of head coach Erik Bakich, who enters his third season at the helm of the program. Last year former L.A. Dodgers manager and hall of famer Tommy Lasorda was the headliner.

The Maryland baseball team returns all eight positional starters and eight of its top 10 pitchers in terms of ERA from a year ago. The Terps open the season Feb. 17 at UCLA.