Terry Francona is featured guest at Tennessee Baseball Leadoff Banquet

Terry Francona, who won a World Series twice as manager of the Boston Red Sox, will be the featured guest at the Tennessee Baseball Leadoff Banquet at the Convention Center on Jan. 18.

"I am very grateful to have Terry Francona as our guest at this year's Leadoff Banquet," Tennessee coach Dave Serrano said. "He is a great ambassador for the sport of baseball and it is a privilege to have someone of his caliber help us kick off the upcoming season. This is a great opportunity for fans of all ages to hear from one of the most successful managers in Major League Baseball and meet every member of the 2012 Tennessee baseball team."

The event will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6. Individual tickets are $40, while a table for 10 will be $350. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning on Nov. 1. For more information, call 865-974-9001.

Francona, who resigned earlier this month after eight seasons in Boston, led the Red Sox to its first World Series title since 1918 in 2004 and repeated in 2007. Francona's record in Boston was 744-552 and he won 28 playoff games, including a perfect 8-0 mark in World Series games.

Francona's 28-17 postseason record ranks as the second-best in MLB history behind only Joe McCarthy (30-13) among managers with a minimum of 25 postseason games.

Francona played at the University of Arizona where he won the 1980 Golden Spikes Award. That same season, he led the Wildcats to the College World Series and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after they won the national championship.

In 10 professional seasons, Francona played in 708 games for five teams, posting a .274 career batting average with 474 hits, 16 home runs and 143 RBIs. After retiring, he managed several minor league teams before serving as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000. His career managerial record is 1,029-915.