DePaul University and the Chicago Cubs hosted its second annual “DePaul Night” at Wrigley

Field on Monday, May 8. Despite temperatures in the 50s and cloudy skies, the stadium was filled with 329 DePaul fans, according to DeHub.

“There’s so much going on and sometimes you can use that as an excuse for not being able to break through the noise to get fans to come to your events… or you can use it as the silver lining being able to tag team with these professional teams and getting a little bit more exposure for DePaul teams,” said Kassidy Brown, senior associate athletics director for Marketing and Communications. 

Brown said this isn’t the only event where DePaul connects with the city’s professional teams. 

“Scheduled approximately once per month, DePaul partners with Chicago professional teams to give the fans as many opportunities as we can to show their DePaul pride,” Brown said. 

In hopes of filling DePaul athletics seats in return, Brown and the marketing team plan college nights with Chicago’s major sports teams like the Cubs, White Sox and Bulls. This is not only encourage DePaul students to get out and active in the city, but to encourage fans of the professional teams to come out and support their local university.

A group of enthusiastic DePaul students from Delta Kappa Alpha (DKA) filled the seats and celebrated the night.

“I’m here because I wanted to spend time with friends and this is a good opportunity to be in Chicago and go to local events but also spend time with my people,” said sophomore Zoe Thomas.

Despite being a Yankee fan from a diehard Yankee family, Trevor Flynn-Stead, sophomore film and television major, says he attended the game for the friends and energy, ending the night with, “now let’s go find the hats.”

DePaul students who can prove they bought a ticket through DeHub got a free DePaul x Cubs ball cap.

DePaul’s women’s basketball head coach Doug Bruno made an appearance in the seventh inning and sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” another way the athletics team and university showed their faces in hopes that local fans would do the same in DePaul stadiums and fields.

The game ended with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Chicago Cubs 3-1. Former Cubs catcher Willson Contreas drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning after connecting with an RBI double off Marcus Stroman. 

It may have been a chilly night, but as the crowd jumped and cheered, students were given the chance to be exposed to the great city they call home. 

“We are lucky and we know how to have fun,” said sophomore film major Ana Butze.