In light of speculation over the club’s future, the acting general manager of the Martinsville Mustangs (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) says the team will return in 2019.
The Mustangs play their home games at Hooker Field, and operate under a model in which they are owned by the city but operations are managed by the Coastal Plain League. There have been some questions about future ownership of the team, and speculation had arisen about whether or not the Mustangs would play at Hooker Field beyond the 2018 season.
The team’s status for next year is now certain, as Mustangs acting general manager Catherine Roth says that the club will be back at Hooker Field in 2019. Roth will not continue in the GM post next year and instead focus on her role with the CPL, but a new GM will be appointed to take her place. More from the Martinsville Bulletin:
“The Mustangs will be back in 2019, at Hooker Field, in Martinsville. We’re excited,” Roth said. “The CPL (Coastal Plain League) contract is through 2019, the operating contract, so we will be operating the team in Martinsville. We’re excited for the year. It’s good for us to be here, even more with me here, and I’ve gotten to see so many ins and outs of it and I think 2019 is actually going to be a really great year for the Mustangs.”
Roth, who works for the CPL league office as Director of Operations and Sponsorships, took over the team at the beginning of the season after former GM Brian McConnell left to take a job with the Holly Springs Salamanders.
But who will be running the team in 2019? That remains to be seen.
“I will not be back. We will be bringing in a GM to run the team as normal for the 2019 offseason and in-season. I will be a part of assisting (CPL Chief Operating Officer and Commissioner) Justin (Sellers) in that just now with the background and knowledge I have of being up here for this period,” Roth said. “I will go back to my normal job… I will be doing that, but as soon as anyone comes in I will be part of helping them transition, any questions they have I’ll come up, I’ll give them the full run-through, we’ll go over everything and I’ll be here to aide in every capacity possible.”
Discussions have previously taken place about Martinsville selling the team, as the city council voted last September to allow the city manager to negotiate a sales agreement with National Sports Services. However, a sale was not finalized, according to a June story from the Martinsville Bulletin.