SAN DIEGO — In celebration of the San Diego State University Men’s Basketball team’s historic season, coach Brian Dutcher and guard Lamont Butler will throw at the Ceremonial First Pitch at Thursday’s Padres game.
Dutcher, in his his 6th season as head coach, led the Aztecs to their first National Championship game in program history. The team had previously never made it past the Sweet 16.
Butler played the role of hero in the Final Four, hitting a last-second buzzer beater to lift SDSU over FAU to advance to the championship game.
Despite coming up short in the title game, San Diego was firmly behind the Aztecs for their historic run.
During their Final Four matchup, the Padres opened the gates to Petco Park early so that fans could watch SDSU play FAU live on the big screen before the Padres took on the Colorado Rockies during their Opening Weekend series.
The Aztec pride did not end there, as the basketball team was honored Saturday during a celebration at Snapdragon Stadium.
San Diego Padres will take on the Milwaukee Brewers at 6:40 p.m. Thursday in Petco Park.
Thursday’s matchup with the Brewers will kick off the Padres second homestand of the season. In addition to Dutcher and Butler throwing out the first pitch, outfielder Juan Soto will also be honored during the pre-game festivities.
The Padres will present Soto with his 2022 Silver Slugger Award, which coincides with team giving away a Juan Soto bobblehead to the first 40,000 fans in attendance. The bobblehead will highlight Soto’s signature shuffle during his batting stance.
