Boston College To Retire Pete Frates' Jersey On Saturday At ALS Awareness Game

Boston College will host its annual ALS Awareness Game on Saturday at 1:30 PM against Wake Forest. As part of the pregame ceremony, the Eagles will retire the jersey of former captain and current director of baseball operations, Pete Frates.

Pete Frates, an outfielder for the Eagles from 2004-2007, is best remembered for his four-hit performance, including a homer, that won the Eagles the 2006 Beanpot. In 107 starts for his career, he hit 11 homers with 56 RBIs, 34 stolen bases, and a .228 average.

In 2012, a then-27 year old Frates was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Since that summer, Frates has been the most public face of the disease as he continues to battle and fight for awareness and a cure. At the forefront of the fight, joining him, has been the Boston College alma mater for which he suited up. Most notably, he served as the inspiration for the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has been performed every August for the past couple of years and will continue until a cure is found.

Frates' #3 is just the second number to be retired as part of the Birdball family program. Eddie Pellagrini, the winningest coach in Boston College program history, is the only other number retired, with his name on the diamond at Shea Field.

This is the fifth year that the Eagles will honor ALS awareness, with over 2,000 fans in attendance at each event. Last season, the Eagles hosted, ironically enough, 3,033, a Shea Field record, against Georgia Tech. The Eagles will host and honor organizations that support the fight against ALS, and these organizations, along with the Frates family, will be on hand during the game to provide information about how to get involved with the fight.

The pregame ceremony to retire Pete's number and jersey will begin at 1:10 PM.