SOUTH BEND, IN - For the first time since he played for the South Bend Cubs on a rehab assignment in August of 2019, Chicago Cubs legend and 2016 World Series Champion Ben Zobrist will make a special guest appearance at Four Winds Field on Saturday, July 25.
South Bend is set to host the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, with gates opening at 5:30 PM. Zobrist, who since retiring from Major League Baseball has given back to young athletes with his nonprofit organization Champion Forward, will host a private VIP meet-and-greet during the game.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS (ON SALE MAY 21 AT 10:00AM)
The VIP meet-and-greet will take place inside the new 11/11 Club presented by Bacardi, located within the new South Bend Cubs Event Building in the left field corner at Four Winds Field. This experience includes a private meet-and-greet with Zobrist, one autograph, and access to a two-hour all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet.
The buffet includes BBQ pulled pork, slow roasted brisket, mac and cheese, creamy coleslaw, cornbread, and cookies in addition to soda and water. Tickets are $125 per person and are limited to 100 guests.
A portion of the proceeds from the meet and greet will go to Champion Forward.
Champion Forward is a nonprofit organization that helps athletes, parents, and coaches experience sports in a mentally and emotionally healthy way. Zobrist founded Champion Forward in the hopes to help young athletes maneuver through the challenges of the sports world in this new era that includes emotional dynamics, balancing demands, social media, and performance pressures.
The evening with Zobrist in Downtown South Bend will also celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 World Series. Zobrist, who won back-to-back World Series MVP awards in 2015 and 2016, was a three-time MLB All-Star. In 2019, Zobrist played on a full tour of the Chicago Cubs Minor League System, first joining the South Bend Cubs on August 2, 2019. Returning to face the West Michigan Whitecaps, it was Zobrist’s first game action since May of that season. He played two more games, both against the Great Lakes Loons, and picked up a pair of base hits and an RBI. He would go on to play for High-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennessee at the time and then Triple-A Iowa in the subsequent weeks.
Tickets the VIP meet-and-greet will go on sale on Thursday, May 21 at 10:00 a.m. For further information, contact the South Bend Cubs Box Office at (574) 235-9988.
About the South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs are the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Over the past 39 years, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2022, and captured nine division titles. In 2023, the organization was selected as the Single-A Bob Freitas Award recipient by Baseball America. Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best High-A Ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest in 2022 and 2023, having also won the award as a Low-A ballpark in 2017. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the final Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2015, the team was named Ballpark Digest’s Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest honor in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC, whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Illinois.