FARGO — The softball season isn’t over for Carson Wentz just yet. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is returning to his alma mater later this month for a Charity Softball Game at Newman Outdoor Field.
The former North Dakota State standout and his Carson Wentz AO1 Foundation will host a home run derby and seven-inning game on Wednesday, June 26. Rosters will be announced at a later date, but they will include former Bison football players. A video on AO1's Twitter account on Monday had shots of former Wentz teammates Billy Turner, Ryan Smith, Colten Heagle and Kyle Emanuel.
Wentz played at NDSU from 2011-15 with the Bison winning a Division I FCS national title in all five of those years. He started his final two seasons and was the No. 2 overall draft choice of the Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft.
FARGO
— AO1 Foundation (@AO1Foundation) June 3, 2019
Big announcement tomorrow at 2:00pm CST. Stay tuned! #WeComingHome #AO1 pic.twitter.com/y1E7AS4RKh
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Temporary seating will be added to Newman Outdoor to bring the capacity for the event to 7,500. Wentz hosted his second annual softball game at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park over the weekend, an event that drew 15,000 fans and 29 Eagles players.
The game that pitted Eagles offensive players vs. defensive players raised $500,000 that will benefit the foundation’s three ministries: Thy King Crumb food truck, the Outdoor Ministry and the Haiti Sports Complex.
Last night was one to remember.. a walk-off bomb, and we were able to raise half a million dollars for the @ao1foundation! THANK YOU!! We had so much fun with y’all!! Check out the game highlights below. #TeamOffense #AO1LeaveYourMark pic.twitter.com/mvxve5Lmuj
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) June 1, 2019
“We’ve had a blast in Philadelphia the last two years and I know it’s going to be a great event,” Wentz said in a statement. “The support we’ve felt in North Dakota since we launched the foundation there has been way beyond my expectations.”
Wentz, the AO1 Foundation president, tapped into his NDSU connections to help run the organization hiring former Bison quarterback Cole Davis as director of operations and former NDSU multimedia coordinator Ryan Nelson as creative media director.
Zach Wentz, Carson’s older brother, is the foundation’s executive director.
The Newman charity event was announced on AO1's social media sites on Instagram and Twitter through a video of mostly Carson Wentz interacting with fans and players at last weekend's Philadelphia softball game.
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"We had so much fun in Philly, we are bringing the AO1 Charity Softball Game to Fargo! Join me and my Bison brothers/former teammates on June 26th at Newman Outdoor Field," Wentz said on his Twitter account.
Gates will open at 5 p.m. The home run derby will begin at 6 p.m. followed an hour later by the softball game, which will air on Midco Sports Network. Tickets will go on sale Friday and available online at www.ao1foundation.org or the Newman Outdoor Field ticket office.
