LOS ANGELES -- When Crenshaw High School student Udo Ebiriekwe heard his name over the school intercom on Monday, he thought he might be in trouble.
Little did he know, he and 29 other Crenshaw students were about to receive a huge surprise. The Dodgers and Major League Baseball presented 30 students, who demonstrated academic improvement and athletic excellence, with tickets to Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile on Friday against the D-backs at Dodger Stadium.
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Along with tickets to the game, the students were given a Dodgers shirt and hat to wear to Friday's game.
"We're very excited," Crenshaw High School principal Remon Corley said. "This is going to be a great experience for the students and it's going to be a lifetime experience that they will remember forever."
For some students, it'll be their first trip to Dodger Stadium, which comes on the heels of a regular season that saw the Dodgers win a club record 104 games.
"Coming in, I expected we were going to the game," senior Nygel Lewis said. "But these type of tickets cost a lot of money. To be a part of this group is pretty [cool]."
Former Dodgers players Dennis Powell and Kenny Landreaux were on hand to briefly speak to the group of students and congratulated them on their hard work and signed autographs.
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"It's just great to see," Powell said. "It's also great to let them know that someone is watching them."
The Dodgers will also provide transportation to and from Dodger Stadium.
"This is exciting," senior Mario Robinson said. "We don't really get stuff like this at school. For me, to be nominated for something educational and people noticing me about everything I do helping out with Mr. Corley is just amazing."