HOUSTON, TX - The 19th annual Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, held at Minute Maid Park from March 1-3, will be televised by AT&T SportsNet and streamed on MLB.com, the AT&T SportsNet app and the MLB At Bat app. All nine games will air live on AT&T SportsNet, in the Astros five-state viewing area, and on mobile platforms. Fans are asked to check local listings for more information.
The 2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic will feature six Texas programs, including Baylor, the University of Houston, Rice, Texas A&M, Texas State and TCU. Baylor enters the season with the highest preseason ranking of the group, checking it at No. 15 per D1Baseball.com, while TCU checks in at No. 19.
This year's field is unique to the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic and marks just the third time for the tournament to host all Texas programs, also in 2001 and 2014. 
Historically, the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic has hosted the No. 1 team in preseason polls seven times in tournament history and has hosted two eventual College World Series Champions. Several current Major League players have played in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, including Alex Bregman, Gerrit Cole, Mike Leake, David Price and Anthony Rendon, to name a few.
Adult and youth daily tickets and three-day tournament passes are available online at Astros.com/CollegeClassic. Fans can purchase premium tickets or group tickets, for groups of 20 or more, by calling 713-259-8030. Daily tickets purchased in advance are available for $20 for adults and $10 for youth (ages 14 and under). Three-day tournament passes can be purchased for $42 for adults and $24 for youth. Select parking in the Astros controlled lots will be sold for $20 and $10 (Diamond and Lot A).
For interest in hosting a special event at the ballpark over the weekend, please call 713-259-8800. Student tickets will also be available for the tournament, but are only sold at the box office during regular business hours.
This year marks the fourth year that the tournament will carry the name Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, which has been set forth by a multi-year naming rights agreement between the Astros Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The Astros Foundation operates the tournament and will donate a portion of each ticket sale directly to Shriners Hospitals for Children as well as provide other fundraising and awareness opportunities.
FIRST PITCH LUNCHEON RETURNS
The Astros Foundation will celebrate the start of the 2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at the First Pitch Luncheon held Thursday, Feb. 28, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The luncheon is a ticketed event for fans, but will also be open to working media on a limited basis. One-on-one interviews with coaches will begin at approx. 1 p.m. 
The program, which will be held on the club level at Minute Maid Park, will be emceed by Astros broadcaster Bill Brown and by Shriners Hospitals for Children patient Alec Cabacungan. All six coaches from the participating schools will be in attendance, including Baylor Head Baseball Coach Steve Rodriguez, Houston Head Coach Todd Whitting, Rice Head Coach Matt Bragga, Texas A&M Head Coach Rob Childress, Texas State Head Coach Ty Harrington and TCU Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle. The Executive Director of the Astros Foundation Twila Carter and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shriners Hospitals for Children Jim Cain will also be in attendance. 
Individual tickets for the luncheon are available for $40 or tables of 10 can be purchased for $400. Visit Astros.com/CollegeClassic for details.
About the Houston Astros Foundation
The Astros Foundation, the official 501(c)(3) team charity of the Houston Astros, seeks to harness the passion of baseball fans to support youth baseball and softball programs, the recognition and honor of our nation's military, childhood cancer awareness and efforts to reduce homelessness. Our cornerstone initiatives include the Community Leaders program, the Astros Youth Academy and the Astros RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) Program. For more information on the Astros Foundation, please visit www.astros.com/foundation.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system with locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Our staff is dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, conducting innovative research, and offering outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care, regardless of the families' ability to pay. Within these broad service lines, many types of care are provided. For example, some locations offer reconstructive plastic surgery, treatment for craniofacial abnormalities or care for sports injuries. Generally, care is provided until age 18, although, in some cases, it may be extended to age 21. All services are provided in a compassionate, family-centered environment. For more information, please visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.

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