NIU President John Peters threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Chicago White Sox home opener against the Minnesota Twins Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.

Standing in front of the mound, Peters – a lefty – reared back and lofted the ceremonial first pitch to White Sox ace Mark Buehrle in front of a sellout crowd.

Buehrle and Peters shared a handshake after the first toss.

Peters said the ceremonial first pitch at “The Cell” was not his first.

“The last time I threw a pitch was for the Cubs game in 2005,” Peters said. “But this was a better strike.”

Peters later joined the families of victims of the Feb. 14 shootings in a private suite to watch the game.

“[The families] are doing remarkably well, they are tremendously strong people,” Peters said. “Obviously, they have things to share with each other. They’re talking to each other about their experiences.”

The White Sox gave the families pinstriped jerseys with the last names printed on the back and the number “08,” as well as baseballs signed by Buehrle.

Each of the victims was honored during the pregame moment of silence, which has traditionally honored members of the White Sox family who have died.

On Monday, photos of Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant, Daniel Parmenter and Ryanne Mace accompanied those of former White Sox players and other former members of the organization who died in the last year.

“On the field, it was very emotional when the White Sox integrated our five students with their players that died in the last year,” Peters said.

The photos were displayed on the screen on the center field scoreboard.

“The White Sox wore our caps the first day of their spring [training] and they [honored the Feb. 14 victims] and they did a little fundraising,” Peters said. “[The White Sox] are just a good organization.”

Earlier in the day, Peters accepted a $10,000 check from the White Sox for NIU’s February 14 Student Scholarship Fund.

The White Sox won the game, 7-4, behind a strong outing from starter Javier Vazquez and a clutch grand slam from third baseman Joe Crede.