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Personnel news in South Bend, Great Lakes, Eau Claire

South Bend CubsWe have personnel news today from the South Bend Cubs (Low Class A; Midwest League), Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest League) and Eau Claire Express (summer collegiate; Northwoods League).

In South Bend, Darin Pritchett is the team’s radio play-by-play broadcaster for the 2015 season.

Pritchett is in his 16th year at WSBT Radio where he is the station’s sports director. He will continue his duties which includes hosting Weekday Sportsbeat, broadcasting sports reports on The WSBT Morning News with JT and hosting WSBT Radio’s Notre Dame football pre game show.  Pritchett is in his 6th season of calling Notre Dame hockey games on New Country 99.9fm.

Pritchett is a seven-time winner of the Indiana Associated Press Play-by-Play broadcaster of the year in the major market division.  He also contributed to the WSBT Radio sports team winning three Indiana Broadcasters Association awards for sports coverage.

A 1994 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Pritchett spent two seasons working as an assistant producer in the KMOX Radio booth for St.Louis Cardinals baseball at Busch Stadium. Before arriving at WSBT Radio, Pritchett spent time as a sports producer at KMOX Radio in St.Louis and on air talent at WTIM Radio in Taylorville, Illinois.

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The Loons announced several front-office hirings and promotions. Thom Pepe has joined the Loons front office as Director of Ticket Sales. In this role, Pepe is responsible for the daily management of all aspects of the Ticket Services Department. Pepe is a native of San Diego, Calif., and began his career with the Loons last season as a Ticket Sales Associate.

Jen Dore is the new Corporate Account Executive. In this role, she will manage new corporate accounts by generating leads, working with businesses to identify client hospitality and employee engagement needs, and presenting solutions to meet those needs. A Bay City native, Dore is a graduate of Saginaw Valley State University.

James Cahiellis and Nick Knieling have been promoted from Group Sales Coordinators to Group Sales Managers in the ticket office. In their new roles, Cahiellis and Knieling will provide leadership and insight for the group sales department, and will actively work to develop incoming ticket staff members through individualized coaching.

Knieling, a Frankenmuth native, has been with the Loons since 2013, when he was an intern and then a producer for ESPN 100.9-FM. He joined the ticket staff last year. Cahiellis, a native of Queens, N.Y., served as an intern for ESPN 100.9-FM before also joining the ticket staff last year.

Hope Wright joins the Loons as Accounting Coordinator. Her job duties include accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliation of ticket sales and various other financial responsibilities. Wright is a graduate of Central Michigan University and a native of St. Louis, Mo.

Steve Horstmann and Tyler Kring have joined the front office as Group Sales Coordinators. They will be responsible for booking group outings with schools, churches and other youth community organizations.

A Central Michigan University graduate, Horstmann joined the Loons ticket staff as an intern during the 2014 season. He’s a native of Cassopolis. Kring, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan graduate, served as a Corporate Partnerships Intern the past two seasons.

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The Eau Claire Express front office announced three additions and one promotion within the team’s full-time staff. New to the Express staff are Spencer Larson (Director of Ticket Sales), Pete Knutson (Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations) and Chris Thompson (Group Sales Manager). Brittany Stark takes on a newly created position of Director of Marketing & Promotions after spending a year as a Corporate Account Manager. The additions bring Eau Claire’s full-time staff to seven.

Larson is no stranger to the Northwoods League, having served as a Marketing and Sales Intern with the Madison Mallards in the summer of 2014. He most recently filled the position of Group Sales Manager with the Normal CornBelters (independent; Frontier League. The Appleton, Wis. native got his start in baseball with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2006, starting as a batboy before moving on to the part-time staff and then finishing with an internship in 2013.

Knutson spent the 2014 season with the Express as the Radio Broadcaster. Prior to the season, he contributed in corporate sponsorship sales which is something that will expand as a part of his new position. Knutson will continue as the radio voice of the Express in his new role but will also oversee the team website and all media relations. He will continue to broadcast high school and collegiate athletics in the offseason for iHeartMedia in Eau Claire.

Thompson has spent the last two summers with the Express as an intern. He was a Stadium Operations Intern in 2013 and returned last season to oversee the stadium operations staff and contribute to the team’s group sales efforts in the spring. His new position will focus ticket sales, specifically in group sales. The Eau Claire native will graduate from UW-Eau Claire this Saturday with a degree in Economics.

Stark also began with the Express in 2013 as a marketing intern. She was hired to the full-time staff in November of last year as a Corporate Account Manager. In addition to continuing with corporate sponsorship sales, she will now coordinate giveaways, entertainment acts, and other promotions taking place at Carson Park.

“We are excited about these additions to our full-time staff,” Express General Manager Andy Neborak said. “Each of these individuals brings a unique perspective and skill set to our team. Our constant goal is to improve the fan experience at Carson Park and these changes ensure that our fans will continue to see increased service when they come to an Express game.”

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