We have personnel news report from the Watertown Rapids (summer collegiate; Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League) and the West Virginia Power (Low A; Sally League).
In Watertown, the Rapids have announced that Brandon Noble will join the team’s front office as it moves towards building its first season. After a year’s absence, summer baseball returns to the Alex Duffy Fairgrounds on June 2nd as part of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, and the front office is being led by Noble, a product of Jefferson Community College’s Sport Management Program. He played first base for coach John Northrop’s Cannoneers, before going on to SUNY Cortland where he graduated with a B.S. degree in Sport Management. He grew up in Potsdam, playing baseball and hockey for the Sandstoners.
Noble said he’s excitement to be a part of the Rapids organization: “I’m thrilled for this opportunity to return to the place where my career in the sports industry began. I’ve seen first-hand how close the North Country community is, and the support in my short time being back has been tremendous. I firmly believe in the path that owners Mike Schell and Paul Velte have laid out for baseball success in Watertown, which made my decision to return an easy one.”
Noble’s experience in Sport Management most recently was with the Greenville, S.C. Swamp Rabbits of the East Coast Hockey League. He has also worked with the Auburn Doubledays (Short Season A; NY-Penn League), and spent a summer at the “Duffy Dome” as an intern with the Watertown Bucks.
Rapids co-owner Mike Schell welcomed Noble home to the North Country saying “Brandon’s North Country roots and experience will be a great asset to the team. Thanks to JCC and Cortland, he’s had the benefit of some of the best sport management education in the country, and also has some great practical experience.”
“Brandon was a committed student who accelerated his path in professional sports by taking advantage of every educational and extracurricular opportunity we had to offer,” said JCC Assistant Professor Anthony Burgess. “His experiences at SUNY Cortland and with the Swamp Rabbits has provided him with the tools necessary to ensure future success as the Rapids begin their inaugural season. The JCC Sport Management program is excited to have an alumnus working in such a high profile position on the local sports scene, and we look forward to the continued partnership, especially for our future students.”
JCC Head Baseball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director John Northrop also added this about Noble. “Our Baseball program and Athletic Department are excited for the opportunity Brandon has with the Watertown Rapids. Noble worked extremely hard during his two years in our program and was a pleasure to coach. He was a responsible, well-respected, goal orientated student-athlete that you could always count on. Having ties to summer baseball in Watertown, I feel excited to have one of our former players working inside the front office and look forward to their inaugural season this summer.”
He will serve as Rapids General Manager, joining Assistant General Manager Madeline Hoyle, and field manager David Anderson on staff. Former General Manager Andrew Sagarin stepped down and returned home to Massachusetts due to health reasons.
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The Power, meanwhile, have announced numerous additions and promotions for the club’s front office staff. The Power have welcomed a new Head Groundskeeper, Account Executive, Suites Coordinator, Food and Beverage Assistant and Operations Assistant, while shifting several staff members into different departments and roles within the organization.
Joining the Power’s front office staff in 2018 is Head Groundskeeper Paul Kuhna, Account Executive Kyle Revis, Suites Coordinator Krisa Lamb, Food and Beverage Assistant Nathan Richard and Operations Assistant Jesus Paez.
Amongst the current front office team, Hannah Frenchick has become the club’s new Social Media and Merchandise Manager, with Zach Kurdin replacing her as the team’s Box Office Manager. Haley Townsend has shifted into the role of Community Relations Manager and John Kocsis returns to the Power as the Broadcast and Media Relations Assistant.
“We are excited and fortunate to have all of these people on our staff,” Power Executive Vice President Ken Fogel said. “They bring specific skill sets to each of these positions, and, most importantly, an enthusiasm and desire to help make a West Virginia Power game the most exciting event in Charleston during each of our 70 contests.”
Kuhna, a Michigan State graduate, comes to the Power after spending 2017 as the Assistant Groundskeeper with the Lansing Lugnuts (Low A; Midwest League). The Gross Pointe, Michigan, native got his first experience working in baseball as a Grounds Intern for the Detroit Tigers in 2016. When he’s not perfecting the field at Appalachian Power Park, Kuhna enjoys rooting for his favorite Detroit sports teams, playing basketball and going to the movies.
A native of Anaheim, California, Revis has kept his roots in Charleston since graduating from the University of Charleston in 2016 as a Sports Administration major. Before coming to the Power, Revis worked as a high school football coach, a passion he carries from his west coast allegiance to the USC and UCLA football programs.
Lamb, a lifelong fan of the West Virginia Power, and all West Virginia teams, earned her new position as Suites Coordinator after excelling in 2017 as a suite waitress at Appalachian Power Park. The 22-year-old is set to graduate from West Virginia State University in May with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and is ready to make Charleston her home after relocating from her native city of Logan, West Virginia. Lamb’s favorite baseball memory is coming to Appalachian Power Park as a kid with her dad on “Power of Organ Donation Night.”
After working as a general intern in 2017, Richard was brought on to assist with the Power’s Food and Beverage operation this season. The Toms Brook, Virginia, native possesses plenty of baseball experience after working as the Head Student Manager for the Old Dominion University baseball team, interning for the Shenandoah University baseball team and spending time with the Woodstock River Bandits (summer collegiate; Valley Baseball League). Outside of work, Richard enjoys watching movies and visiting museums.
Like Richard, Paez moved into a specialized role assisting the Operations department after completing the general internship program in Charleston in 2017. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Paez started his baseball career in 2016 as a Sales and Ticketing Intern with the Washington Wild Thing independent; Frontier League). A lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Paez’s favorite baseball memory is playing at PNC Park three years in a row during the High School Sectional Finals. The Point Park University alumnus also enjoys salsa dancing, soccer, hiking, bowling and kayaking.
Frenchick is in her third season with the West Virginia Power, and her first as the club’s Social Media and Merchandise Manager after managing the club’s box office in 2016 and 2017. Although she was born in Minnesota, Frenchick has called many different places home after spending eight years in the United States Army as a patient administration specialist and public affairs specialist. A graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Frenchick began her baseball career in 2014 with the Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League), where she fell in love with baseball and the world around it. She also considers herself an expert traveler and budding photographer.
Kurdin was promoted to Box Office Manager in 2018 after assisting Frenchick in the box office in 2017. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native previously worked as a Premium Services Intern for the Philadelphia Eagles, Marketing Intern for the Parma Panthers and Ticket Intern for the Philadelphia Freedom. A fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, Ohio State Buckeyes and the Norwegian Curling team, Kurdin devotes his free time to the golf course, attending concerts or watching excessive amounts of Netflix.
Prior to her current role as the Power’s Community Relations Manager, Townsend spent two seasons as the team’s Client Services Manager. Originally from Georgia, Townsend graduated from Georgia Southern in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management before starting her baseball journey with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League. Townsend has been a part of two championship seasons during her four years in baseball, one with the Perth Heat in 2014 and in 2015 with the Hickory Crawdads (Low A; Sally League).
Kocsis returns to the Power in a different capacity in 2018 after interning in the Video Production department in 2017. Kocsis will join David Kahn in the broadcast booth in 2018, as well as contribute to the team’s media relations efforts. A proud fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indians and Browns, the Ohio University graduate has logged significant time behind the mic after spending two seasons as the Director of Broadcasting for the Southern Ohio Copperheads in 2014 and 2015 and broadcasting and reporting for OhioVarsity.com since 2016. When Kocsis is not working at the ballpark, you can find him listening to country and classic rock music, running or biking.