CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Writer for D1Baseball, Mike Rooney, CEO of the Pencil Talk Podcast, and field reporter for D1Baseball, Jack Delongchamps, and 13-year professional softball player Megan Wiggins headline the 2026 Austin Peay State University First Pitch Banquet, being held on Saturday, Jan. 31, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
Rooney played baseball for Notre Dame from 1988 to 1992 before coaching five seasons at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He then went to Arizona State, where he would coach for seven seasons before taking a role as head coach at Phoenix College from 2005 to 2008, helping lead the program to its first winning season since 1993, winning the Arizona Region I Championship in his final season. Since then, Rooney has been one of the foremost college baseball analysts, writing for D1Baseball and being part of the ESPN broadcast team.
Delongchamps played five seasons of baseball at the collegiate level, beginning at Charleston Southern, where he played three seasons before transferring to George Mason. He would finish his career there after spending his final two seasons with the Patriots. Following graduation, Delongchamps would found his Pencil Talk Podcast to talk about college baseball across the nation. He then became a field reporter for D1Baseball in 2025, joining Rooney and the rest of the staff, while also collaborating with 11Point7 as a co-host for their podcast.
The six-time All-NPF selection and 13-year professional softball player, Wiggins, played at Georgia. Wiggins is one of four players in Georgia history with 200 or more career runs scored, and is tied for fifth on the Bulldogs' career hits list with 275. She was drafted by the Chicago Bandits in the second round of the National Pro Fastpitch Draft in 2011 and has played professionally since. Wiggins is the owner of The Peaches summer collegiate team and the founder of The Peaches Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster and encourage growth in the softball community for all ages and backgrounds.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and includes the opportunity to meet the 2026 Governors baseball and softball teams, as well as their coaching staffs. Individual event tickets, which include a buffet dinner, are available for $50, with full tables available for $500. Registration to attend the First Pitch Banquet is available at the registration link here. Other sponsorship opportunities are also available and can be found by following the link.
Doors open at 5 p.m., and several silent auction items will be available. Check back here later as more items will be announced.
