Thousands of UM employees and their families attend the largest-ever Family Night with the Marlins

Starting rotation: Six UM employees threw out first pitches at the game, including, from left, Roni Avissar, dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; Patricia White, dean of the School of Law; Hersy Grant Basham, Rosenstiel School, Information Technology; Alexander Perez-Pons, School of Business Administration, Career Services; Josey Medrano, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics; and Kirby Hocutt, director of athletics.

Not even the rain was enough to keep 19,000 strong away from the biggest ever UM Family Night with the Marlins.

Wearing Hurricane orange and green and Marlins teal, several thousand University of Miami of employees and their families began streaming through Gate D at Land Shark Stadium at mid-afternoon on Saturday, ready to cheer on the hometown team and enjoy the many pregame activities that awaited.

Children–and a few young-at-heart adults–got their faces painted. Employees showed off their pitching prowess at the dunk tank. Several fans wrapped themselves in Marlins body flags, which were given out to employees as they entered the stadium. Marlins players were on hand to sign autographs. UM President Donna E. Shalala and mascots Sebastian the Ibis and Billy the Marlin greeted employees. And the UM band and cheerleaders entertained attendees with music and dance routines.

Photos taken at the event may be viewed and downloaded at this photo gallery.

“In terms of partnering with an outside company or entity, this is the largest single-game event in Major League Baseball,” Orestes Hernandez, senior account executive for the Florida Marlins, said of the fourth annual Family Night

The event helped push attendance at the game–an 11 to 3 Marlins victory over the Washington Nationals–to 38,214, the third-largest Marlins home crowd this season.

Aid to Education: Marlins representatives were on hand to present a $7,500 check to UM's School of Education that will be used for a scholarship for a student in the Sports Administration Program. From left are Sebastian the Ibis; Billy the Marlin; Nancy Olson, executive director of the Marlins Community Foundation; Isaac Prilleltensky, dean of the School of Education; UM President Donna E. Shalala; Thomas J. LeBlanc, UM executive vice president and provost; Marlins President David Samson; mascot Li'l Billy; and the Miami Maniac.

The Marlins, still in the hunt for a playoff berth, weren’t the only winners on Saturday. During an on-field pregame ceremony, the Florida Marlins Community foundation donated $12,500 to UM, funds that will benefit students.

Seven-thousand five-hundred dollars of that total will go to the School of Education to fund a scholarship for a student in the Sports Administration Program.

The School of Communication gets the remaining $5,000, which will be used to establish the Suzanne Rayson scholarship for students who are enrolled in the Broadcast Journalism Program and have shown an interest in sports broadcasting. Rayson, who served as the Marlins director of broadcasting from 2002 to 2008, died last year after a battle with cancer.

Also during on-field pregame activities: Patricia White, dean of the School of Law; Roni Avissar, dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; and Kirby Hocutt, director of athletics, threw out first pitches.

The School of Communication also proved to be a winner at Saturday's Family Night with the Marlins, receiving a $5,000 check for student scholarships. From left are Sebastian the Ibis; Billy the Marlin; Sam Grogg, dean of the School of Communiction; UM President Donna E. Shalala; Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. Leblanc; Marlins President David Samson; PJ Loyello, Marlins senior vice president of communications and broadcasting; Li'l Billy; the Miami Maniac; and Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez, a former Miami Hurricane.

Three UM employees selected in a random drawing also threw out first pitches: Hersy Grant Basham, Rosenstiel School, Information Technology; Josey Medrano, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics; and Alexander Perez-Pons, School of Business Administration, Career Services

“It’s a great way to reward our employees, and this year’s Family Night was the best ever,” said Mark Diaz, associate vice president of budget and planning in the Office of the Provost, which works with the Marlins to coordinate the event.

Though the game was delayed more than two hours because of rain, many of the employees who braved soggy conditions remained. Once the game started, the action proved worth waiting for, as Marlins rookie Gaby Sanchez, a former Miami Hurricane, belted his first career homerun.

Renowned Latin singer Willy Chirino performed after the game.