By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Getting back to your roots is often the best way to connect with oneself as well as those what came before, and the Tennessee Tech baseball team continued to apply that principle last weekend as the Golden Eagles hosted their annual alumni event on Saturday with resounding success.

The event was so successful and fun, that head coach Matt Bragga and his staff wanted to offer their thanks in a letter addressed to all involved:

To all those alumni who were able to come join us for our annual alumni event on Nov. 8, we would like to thank you. We had 21 former Golden Eagles come out, spanning careers from as far back as 1966 to as recent as 2014. Without you, we would not have been able to put together such a fun and successful event and we thank you for that.

We saw six new members added to the Tennessee Tech baseball "Commitment to Excellence" chain, including: Steve Hawkins (1987), David Dillon (1988), Kent Hall (1988), Jim Ed Warden (2001), Casey Benjamin (2003), and Jared Dobbs (2011).

They were supported by their fellow alumni and the 2015 Golden Eagle baseball team and coaches as they hammered their link in the TTU baseball chain.

Our quality at bat competition was very competitive this season as four of Tech's finest took part. Six-time All-American and 2014 MLB Draftee Daniel Miles took home the crown this year, edging out his teammate and 2014 MLB Draftee Jordan Parris, 2014 TTU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Casey Benjamin, and 1996 OVC standout Brian Dudney.

We were fortunate to see Casey join the ranks of Tech's all-time great athletes on Friday evening as he was inducted into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame. He is the 38th member of the Golden Eagle baseball team to join the Hall of Fame and we want to congratulate him and his family one more time.

We thank all of the TTU Baseball family for their attendance and support of the Golden Eagle team.

Our hope is that this event continues to grow and that we can get more alumni involved and committed to a fantastic program here at Tennessee Tech.

Once again, we thank you!

                                                 – Matt Bragga, Tennessee Tech head baseball coach