CLEVELAND, Miss. – A Night of Champions is fast approaching. Mike Matheny headlines the second annual event, scheduled for Friday, August 8, courtesy of lead sponsor Cannon Motors of Mississippi. Learn more about Matheny's professional career as a player and manager in Major League Baseball.

Matheny, a University of Michigan alumnus, was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 31^st round of the 1988 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Reynoldsburg High School in Ohio. He was later drafted in the 8^th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1991. Making his MLB debut on April 7, 1994, versus Oakland, Matheny spent five seasons with the Brewers and one season with the Toronto Blue Jays before landing in St. Louis after signing as a free agent on December 15, 1999.

As a Cardinal, Matheny appeared in 611 games behind the dish, logging 4,938.1 innings while committing a mere 14 errors. The four-time (2000, 2003-05) Rawlings Gold Glove recipient holds the Major League catching record for consecutive errorless games in a season (138) and consecutive errorless chances (1,565). He ranks second in consecutive errorless games with 252. At the time he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2011, he was one of only three Major League catchers to play 100 games without a single error.

In 2000 and 2001, he finished the seasons ranked second in the MLB for caught stealing percentage with 52.7% and 48.3%, respectively.

Matheny was named the 49th manager in St. Louis Cardinals franchise history on November 14, 2011, a stint that spanned through 2018. As the skipper, Matheny posted a 591-474 record with the Redbirds over seven seasons, taking the National League pennant in 2013. He became the first manager in MLB history to lead a team to the playoffs each of his first four years. He spent three more seasons as a manager with the Kansas City Royals from 2020-22.

Tickets are now on sale for A Night of Champions. Ticket options include General Admission Individual, General Admission Couple, and Reserved Table of Eight. Various levels of sponsorship are also available and include tickets, drinks, recognitions, and more. All tickets and sponsorships can be purchased HERE.
 
Sponsors are also invited to a special pre-event reception with VIP access to the guest of honor. For more information, please contact Kel Lange, Athletics Development Officer, at 662-846-4300 or klange@deltastate.edu for more information.

Stay tuned to gostatesmen.com for more information on Matheny and the event, as A Night of Champions draws nearer.