There is some personnel news to report from the Indianapolis Indians (Class AAA; International League) and the Clinton LumberKings (Low A; Midwest League).
In Indianapolis, the Indians have announced four promotions within their front office.
Matt Guay and Joel Zawacki have been elevated to assistant general managers, while Tim Hughes and Brad Morris both become senior directors.
Matt Guay was named Assistant General Manager – Tickets & Operations. Guay is in his 18thyear with the organization after beginning as a ticket services intern in 1999. He received the promotion while serving as the team’s director of tickets and operations. Under his leadership, the Indians’ ticketing staff has become one of the most successful in Minor League Baseball – setting franchise attendance records in 2014 and ’15 before leading all of MiLB this season. Guay’s efforts were recently recognized by Junior Achievement of Central Indiana with a selection as a finalist in the 2016 Indy’s Best and Brightest Awards.
Guay (40) is a Pittsburgh, Pa., native and graduated from the University of Dayton in 1998. He lives in Indianapolis’ Fall Creek Place neighborhood with his wife, Emily, and daughter, Audrey.
Joel Zawacki was named Assistant General Manager – Corporate Sales & Marketing. Previously the organization’s director of corporate sales and marketing, Zawacki began with the Tribe in 2007 as a sponsorship sales coordinator. He transformed the Indians’ sponsorship practices to eventually triple the department’s revenue to $3.3 million by 2015 and is responsible for driving all of the team’s advertising and promotional endeavors. Zawacki was recognized as a finalist for the 2015 Indy’s Best and Brightest Awards and was selected to the Indianapolis Business Journal’s ’40 Under 40′ list earlier this year.
Zawacki (32) is a native of Michigan City, Ind., and lives in Downtown Indianapolis with his wife, Ellen, and son, Jack. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Indianapolis in 2006, where he was a three-year varsity letterman and Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Academic Team selection for the Greyhounds’ baseball program.
Along with the two newly promoted assistant general managers, Tim Hughes has been elevated toSenior Director of Facilities and Brad Morris is now Senior Director of Business Operations. Hughes joined the Indians in 1998 and now oversees all of the ballpark’s repair and maintenance projects. In addition, he is the organization’s liaison for all contractor work throughout the facility. Morris started full-time for the Tribe in 1996 after several years as an intern and is responsible for all of the organization’s accounting and day-to-day finances. He at one point recorded a streak of more than 1,500 Tribe home games without a single absence.
—
In Clinton, Erik Oas will be taking over as the LumberKings broadcaster.
Oas, 26, will serve as the team’s Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. The San Diego native comes to Clinton following a stint with the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Chicago White Sox Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, where he served as the team’s Broadcast/Media Relations Assistant during the 2016 season.
He graduated from San Jose State University in May 2013 where he broadcast the school’s hockey, football, basketball, volleyball and baseball coverage for campus radio station KSJS.
Upon graduation, Oas worked in Palm Springs, California for the California Winter League and then spent two seasons in the West Coast League serving as the Director of Broadcast and Media Relations for the Klamath Falls Gems and Bellingham Bells. Following the 2015 season, he took his talents to Australia to serve as the Director of Broadcasting and Communications for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League.
“I am extremely excited to be a part of the Clinton LumberKings,” said Oas. “One of the things that have always drawn me to baseball has been its history. Joining the only remaining charter member of the Midwest League is something I find incredibly cool. I hope to bring all LumberKings fans the most entertaining and informative broadcasts in the league as we look for a return trip to the Championship Series.”
“We are looking forward to having Erik on board with us for the upcoming season,” said LumberKings General Manager Ted Tornow. “He has a great voice and enthusiasm for the game and I am sure that our fans and listeners will enjoy the broadcasts.”