BIGS® Sunflower Seeds and the Greatest Ballhawk of All-time Go For an Amazing Baseball Record to Benefit Charity

BOULDER, Colo., April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Most baseball fans dream of snagging a foul ball when they head to the ballpark.  Other fans have aspirations to visit every major league stadium over the course of their lifetime.  BIGS® Sunflower Seeds has teamed up with bestselling baseball author and record-setting baseball collector Zack Hample to combine these two fantasies to raise money for Pitch In For Baseball. 

In the BIGS Baseball Adventure, Hample, who has collected more than 6,400 baseballs during batting practice and live games, will attempt to snag a game-used baseball from all 30 big league stadiums during the 2013 regular season -- a challenge that has never been achieved or even considered by hobby experts.  For every stadium where he succeeds, BIGS® Sunflower Seeds will donate $500 to the charity Pitch In For Baseball.  Hample and BIGS® will also be teaming up on additional fundraising efforts to benefit this charity throughout the season.

According to MyGameBalls.com, Hample has collected more big league baseballs than anyone and is quite possibly the only person in the world that could be up to the challenge. "Collecting baseballs has been my passion since I was a little kid, and I'm really excited to partner with BIGS® Sunflower Seeds to try to set these records and raise money for a great charity," said Hample.  "The challenge of snagging game-used baseballs at all these stadiums is insane, but I'm up for it. Bring it on."

BIGS® Sunflower Seeds' President Justin Havlick, who is never one to do anything small himself, believes Zack will have a record-breaking summer.  "Zack's passions and values are a perfect match for BIGS®.  Everything he does, he does in a big way and has a great time doing it.  His chase for this record will make the 2013 baseball season one to remember, and we're proud to fuel the big experience."

Baseball fans can follow Zack's BIGS Baseball Adventure all season via a variety of social media platforms at BIGSBaseballAdventure.com.

About BIGS® Sunflower Seeds
BIGS® Sunflower Seeds is owned by THANASI Foods LLC which is a privately held and family-owned, Boulder, Colorado-based manufacturer and marketer of premium snack foods. Established in 2004, Thanasi Foods' award-winning BIGS® and DUKE'S® Small Batch Smoked Meats can be found in over 50,000 U.S. retail locations today. The Company's BIGS and DUKE'S products are uniquely flavored with consumers' favorite co-brand ingredients including: Hidden Valley®, Jim Beam®, FRANK'S® REDHOT®, Vlasic®, STUBB'S®, Bacon Salt®, Kikkoman®, Heinz®, and Old Bay®. Visit THANASI.com, BIGS.com and DukesMeats.com for more information. 

About ZACK HAMPLE
Zack Hample is a bestselling baseball author, best known for having snagged 6,459 baseballs from 50 different major league stadiums, including Mike Trout's 1st career home run, Barry Bonds' 724th, and the last Mets homer ever hit at Shea Stadium. He has been featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines and has appeared on NPR, ESPN, FOX Sports, CNN International, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and The Tonight Show with both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. Hample's first book, How to Snag Major League Baseballs, was published in 1999 when he was 21 years old. His second book, Watching Baseball Smarter, was published in 2007 and is currently in its 16th printing. His third book, The Baseball, came out in 2011.  For more on Zack, log on to www.zackhample.com.

About PITCH IN FOR BASEBALL
Founded in 2005, Pitch In For Baseball is the central organization for the collection and redistribution of new and gently used youth baseball and softball equipment to underserved communities around the world.  PIFB has distributed equipment and uniforms to more than 75 countries worldwide and more than 300 communities around the United States impacting over 170,000 children in need.  In addition, Pitch In For Baseball has assisted 24 youth programs in 2013 in New Jersey and New York impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  Based outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PIFB is a 501 c3 not for profit organization.  For more information, visit www.pitchinforbaseball.org.

SOURCE BIGS Sunflower Seeds