Former Atlanta Braves coach and World Series champion Ned Yost gave advise to the Georgia Southern University baseball team during his speech at an annual fundraiser for the team.

“My advice, and this goes from young kids to old kids, is have fun playing the game, and don’t ever, ever, ever be afraid to make a mistake. Never. Because that’s how you learn the game, by making mistakes,” Yost said.

The third annual Evening with the All-Stars is an event for the baseball team put on by the GSU Dugout Club on Thursday. The banquet raised money from ticket sales as well as an auction that included four SunTrust home plate seats at Turner Field and a bat signed by John Smoltz.

“It gets people thinking about baseball. Not a lot of people have baseball on their mind on the last day in January, but the college season is two weeks from tomorrow,” head coach Rodney Hennon said.

Yost, who was a coach during the 1995 World Series team for the Braves and is currently the Kansas City Royals manager, spoke to the packed house about his career and his time with the Braves.

In addition to Yost, former Eagle greats Victor Roache and Chris Beck were in attendance. Roache was drafted in the first round by the Milwaukee Brewers last year and was just yesterday named the best power hitter in the Brewers farm system. The Chicago White Sox drafted beck in the second round last year as well after a stellar career at GSU. Both players spoke to the team at the fundraiser.

“If I could give one tip to the guys it would be to appreciate everything you get at Georgia Southern,” Beck said in regards to how his life has changed since he has become a part of professional baseball. “I think we had three off days in three months.”

“College gave me a better perspective on how to interact with other people, and I think that helps in the long run about being a good teammate,” Roache said.

A pitcher that preceded Beck and Roache at GSU, Everett Teaford, was also on hand on Thursday night. He pitched in 14 games for Yost and the Royals last year after being called up midway through the season. He is the connection between GSU and the Kansas City manager.

The Eagles open their 2013 campaign at home against the University of Georgia on Feb. 15.