GARY, Ind. — Former major-leaguer Jermaine Allensworth, two-time Northern League all-star Steve Haake and 2009 rookie standout Jeff Beachum have all been added to the lineup at the Gary SouthShore RailCats second-annual Fan Fest, Saturday, February 20 at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville.

Discount pre-sale tickets for the 2010 Fan Fest are on sale now at www.railcatsbaseball.com or by calling the RailCats ticket office at 219.882.2255.  Advance tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for 2010 season ticket holders and kids (age 12 and under), and include a pass to a day full of ballpark fun and the chance to mix and mingle with RailCats stars of past and present.  Ticket prices go up $5 if you wait to buy on the day of the event.

As an added bonus, the first 1,000 fans through the Radisson doors on February 20 will collect a free Fan Fest poster and program along with a ticket to Opening Day, Thursday, May 20 at U. S. Steel Yard.  The first 500 adults will nab a Fan Fest t-shirt, and the first 500 kids receive a logo baseball.

Allensworth joined the RailCats in 2006 for a two year stint, following two seasons with the Joliet Jackhammers and nine years in affiliated ball, including four seasons in the majors.  Taken with the 34th overall pick of the 1993 Player Entry Draft, Allensworth debuted in the majors on July 23, 1996 in a win for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Montreal Expos.  The Anderson, Indiana native played in 342 major league games with the Pirates, Kansas City Royals, and New York Mets and joined the independent ranks in 2004.  In two seasons in Gary, Allensworth was a key contributor for the 2006 Northern League runners-up and 2007 Northern League Champions.  The speedy outfielder compiled a franchise best .356 playoff batting average and is currently third in RailCats history with his .288 batting average.

Haake followed Manager Greg Tagert to Gary in 2005 after playing for Tagert previously in the Frontier League for both Springfield-Ozark Ducks and the Kenosha Mammoths.  Since joining the RailCats, Haake has become the franchise’s all-time leader in doubles (115), triples (22), stolen bases (103), and games played (451).  The lefty was an All-Star in the Frontier League in 2003 and a Northern League All-Star in 2008 and 2009.  Haake helped lead the RailCats to five consecutive Northern League Championship Series and titles in 2005 and 2007.  The .331 career playoff batting average Haake amassed is second only to Allensworth in franchise history.

Beachum enjoyed a very successful rookie campaign for the RailCats in 2009.  After an injury-plagued 2008 season, Beachum stayed healthy as a member of the RailCats and batted .309 which would have placed him in the top ten in the Northern League with only four more plate appearances.  The former New York Yankees farmhand slugged .399 and carried a .372 on-base percentage, notching 14 doubles, two home runs and 31 RBI.  Beachum was also one of the most difficult hitters in the league to strike out, fanning only 21 times in 255 plate appearances.

RailCats assistant coaches Joe Gates and Mick Curran will also be joining in the fun at the Radisson on February 20.  Gates is the longest tenured member of the RailCats while Curran is taking over as hitting coach after joining Tagert’s staff in 2009 as Utility Coach.

These five will join the other 11 players and coaches already slated to be part of the festivities at Fan Fest and all will be available for autographs.  The Radisson Hotel is located at the intersection of I-65 and US-30 in Merrillville and is adjacent to the Star Plaza Theater, The Region’s foremost indoor entertainment venue.  For more information on the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza, visit www.radisson.com/merrillvillein.