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White Sox winner of Honorary Bat Girl Contest to be honored for 'going to bat against breast cancer'

Two-Time breast cancer survivor and Lyons resident to throw ceremonial first pitch on May 10

Major League Baseball has announced the winners of the 2015 Honorary Bat Girl contest, which recognizes baseball fans who have been affected by breast cancer and who demonstrate a commitment to eradicating the disease. The winner of the Honorary Bat Girl contest for the Chicago White Sox is 45-year-old Jody Huffmaster of Lyons, Illinois.

Huffmaster, a life-long White Sox fan, is a two-time breast cancer survivor who has personally raised more than $18,000 through her involvement with Chicago's "AVON 39 - The Walk to End Breast Cancer." She will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Sunday, May 10 when the White Sox take on the Cincinnati Reds at 1:10 p.m.

"The White Sox are honored to welcome Jody and her family to U.S. Cellular Field," said Christine O'Reilly, White Sox vice president of community relations. "Jody is the epitome of the Honorary Bat Girl program, and we are excited to celebrate everything she has done to help find a cure for breast cancer."

The Honorary Bat Girl program was introduced in 2009 to raise additional awareness and support for the annual "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative celebrated on Mother's Day. In seven years, thousands of unique testimonials have been submitted and more than 2 million fan votes have been cast. Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer is a Major League Baseball initiative supported by MLB charitable partners, Stand Up To Cancer and Susan G. Komen. This initiative raises awareness about the breast cancer cause, while also raising funds to support breast cancer research.

On Mother's Day, players and on-field personnel will wear the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms along with pink wristbands. Commemorative base jewels and dugout lineup cards also will be pink. Games will feature a pink-stitched Rawlings baseball, the official ball of MLB, as the official game ball. Many MLB players also will use pink bats, and pink Louisville Slugger bats, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, will be stamped with the MLB breast cancer awareness logo. Many authenticated, game-used Louisville Slugger pink bats from Mother's Day games will be auctioned exclusively on MLB.com to benefit the fight against breast cancer.

Read More: Chicago White Sox