WILLMAR, MN- The Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League are excited to announce that former University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Kevin Lynch (basketball) and Aaron Barber (golf) along with Goldy Gopher will be on hand for Minnesota Gophers Night presented by the Loon 94.1 FM. Both Gopher standouts will be on hand to throw out ceremonial first pitches and sign autographs as the Stingers take on the Thunder Bay Border Cats Saturday, June 26th at 7:05 pm at Bill Taunton Stadium.
Kevin Lynch, originally from Bloomington, MN, won the 1987 Mr. Basketball Award at Bloomington Jefferson and was part of the first recruiting class for then Gophers coach Clem Haskins. In four seasons with the Gophers, Lynch scored 1,355 points which is 11th all-time at the University of Minnesota. As a senior Kevin averaged 18.1 points a game and was named to the All Big Ten Second Team. Lynch was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 28th pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. He played two seasons with the Hornets, appearing in 95 games total. Lynch has continued to stay involved in basketball after his playing career, he is currently broadcasting games for the Timberwolves.
Aaron Barber is a native of Willmar, MN and was a standout golfer for the maroon and gold. Barber earned multiple accolades while teeing it up as a Gopher, including being named a 1996 All-American, All Big Ten First Team in 1995 and 1996, and a 3-time Academic All Big Ten team member from 1994-1996. As a professional, Barber was a member of the Canadian Tour from 1998-2002 tallying 2 wins. In 2002 Aaron earned his PGA Tour Card for the first time and was named the 2003 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
Single game tickets for this event and all home games are currently on-sale at the Stingers ticket office location at the ballpark from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or by calling 320-222-2010. For more information regarding this story or the 2010 inaugural season presented by Charter Communications, please call 320-222-2010.
