Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve threw out the ceremonial first pitch Aug. 6 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles prior to the Major League Baseball game between the Dodgers and visiting Atlanta Braves. On hand for the 15th Annual Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium, Elder Ballard was a special guest of the Dodgers.

Photo by Lori Shepler / AP

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve took to the field Aug. 6 to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Two Church members contributed their vocal talents to the evening's festivities. Shea Owens, a BYU student majoring in Music Performance with an emphasis in Vocal Performance, belted out a pre-game rendition of the national anthem; JoDee Stott of South Ogden, Utah, sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Courtesy of Sonja Brown

Shea Owens, left, and JoDee Stott both sang on the field at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 6.

Shea won the nationwide casting call to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Dodger Stadium's Mormon Night that included a $1,500 cash prize and the chance to audition for Deseret Book's Shadow Mountain Records.

"I didn't really know what to expect," he said. "I've never really sung for that many people before. Actually, I've never sung the national anthem in a stadium before."

Courtesy of Sonja Brown

Shea Owens is a Music Major at BYU with an emphasis on Vocal Performance. He won the right to sing the national anthem at the 15th Annual Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 6 through a national contest that more than 500 people entered.

More than 500 people entered the competition; in addition to the performances of Shea and Sister Stott, four other finalists were also recognized before the game Aug. 6: Jared Allen, KaDee Smith, Heather Elmer and Michelle Baer. Event organizers notified Shea only a couple hours ahead of time that he had won the contest and would therefore be singing the national anthem.

"They told me I was the actual winner a little bit before I sang," he said. "I experienced a rush of excitement, gratitude and nervousness all at the same time. I don't know that I've quite experienced something like that before."

Although Sister Stott finished in second place, she was quite content with the opportunity to take center stage between the top and bottom halves of the seventh inning.

"It was just such a wonderful experience to be out there, on the field, thousands of people cheering and being able to sing," she said. "This is a night my kids aren't going to forget for a long, long time."

Elder John C. Dalton, an Area Seventy who caught Elder Ballard's ceremonial first pitch, basked in the afterglow of another successful Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium.

Photo by Jerry Garns

Left to right: Elder John C. Dalton, Jared Allen, Michelle Baer, Heather Elmer, Elder M. Russell Ballard, Shea Owens, JoDee Stott and KaDee Smith.

"This has been an unbelievable night," he said. "What a great spirit these young singers brought to the stadium! When Shea Owens and JoDee Stott let their lights shine, everyone in the stadium felt it."

jaskar@desnews.com