Baseball fans and movie-lovers will see their worlds collide at Miller Park on March 30.
This year BYU Athletics will show the movie The Sandlot during its second-annual Movie Night at Miller Park.
"It's a fun baseball, summer-time, feel-good movie with a wide appeal to students and families," said Emily Deans, marketing director of BYU Olympic sports.
Miller Park is BYU's combined baseball-softball facility. With scenic mountains as backdrop, the Larry H. Miller Field was featured in Baseball America's 2002 Great Parks Calendar and seats 2,204 baseball fans.
Movie Night will be on the baseball side of Miller Park again this year because it can accommodate over 100 more fans than the softball side, said Tony Jewkes, BYU's athletic marketing director.
"After the outfield grass is cut in perfect patterns, and the infield is painted and the ballpark lights flipped on, we'll open the gates to fans and families for an outdoor movie experience second to none," Jewkes said.
"We'll eat hot dogs, sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and then sit inside picturesque Miller Park and watch a The Sandlot on a big screen centered at second base -- right where you'd expect to see a double play or steal take place" he said.
The movie will begin at 8:30 p.m. but pre-movie promotions will start at 8 p.m. When the gates open at 7 p.m. fans can put their names into a box from which dozens of promotion participants will be selected. "We're going to be giving away even more prizes from sponsors this year," Deans said.
More than 30 fans competed in promotional contests last year and won prizes from local sponsors.
Movie Night tickets are $2 and go on sale at the BYU Wilkinson Student Center information desk beginning March 22. The event is co-sponsored by BYUSA.
Last year BYU Athletics hired Open Air Cinema Inc. to show Disney's The Rookie on their 40 foot by 20 foot inflatable screen.
In addition to the large screen, Deans said the novelty of watching a movie in the ballpark contributed to the overall success of last year's event. "I think people are always interested in a unique experience and want to do something a little different to break the mundane weekend date at the movie theatre," Deans said.
"We had more than 1,600 fans attend last year, despite the cool weather the night of the event. Students came bundled in blankets and were lined-up down the street when we opened the gates," she said.
Movie Night at Miller Park is kind of like the BYU midnight madness of baseball, said Deans. "It's the big pep rally to start off our spring sports. March 30 is a great time to of year for an outdoor movie."