The Class AA Eastern League has named its 2018 Executive of the Year, as the Trenton Thunder‘s Jeff Hurley has won the award. The 2018 season was his third as the Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of the Thunder. Hurley will be presented with the award at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, Nevada during the Opening Session on Monday, December 10.
Under Hurley’s leadership the Trenton Thunder welcomed a total of 351,297 fans to ARM & HAMMER Park this season, which was the fourth highest total in the Eastern League and is the highest total for the Trenton franchise since the 2014 season. That attendance total did not include the sellout crowd of 8,296 fans that were in attendance at ARM & HAMMER Park for the 2018 Eastern League All-Star Game or the thousands of fans that were in attendance the night before the All-Star Game for the 2018 Case’s Pork Roll Eastern League Home Run Derby.
In addition to hosting the Eastern League All-Star Game this year, the 2018 season in Trenton was also a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary season of the Trenton Thunder. Fans were able to celebrate the anniversary with a number of fun promotions highlighting the storied history of the club. Beyond providing their fans with the affordable family entertainment they’ve come to expect, the Thunder organization also focuses on giving back to their community. Their efforts this past season included helping to raise money and awareness for hundreds of charitable organizations while also operating their own charitable efforts such as their F.I.E.L.D. Program, which is a program that focuses on renovating youth baseball fields in their community.
With the presentation of this award the Eastern League would also like to recognize the outstanding performance this season by the entire Trenton Thunder staff.
“Jeff’s selection for this award is well deserved recognition for the outstanding job he has done not only this season, but during his entire tenure with the Thunder,” said Eastern League President Joe McEacharn. “The outstanding efforts of Jeff and the rest of the staff in Trenton were on full display with their excellent performance in planning and hosting the Eastern League All-Star Game. Those efforts alone would be enough to recognize Jeff and the Trenton organization, without taking into account the fact that the Thunder also provided their fans with a full season worth of fun and excitement they’ve come to expect at ARM & HAMMER Park while celebrating 25 years of Thunder baseball.”
Hurley, a graduate of DeSales University, has been with the Thunder for his entire 15-year career in professional baseball. Jeff got his start with the Thunder as an intern in 2004 and was hired as a Group Sales Representative following the 2004 seasons. During his time with the Thunder Jeff has also filled the roles of Media Relations Assistant, Community Relations and Baseball Operations Manager, Baseball Operations and Accounting Manager, Director of Finance and Baseball Operations, and Chief Financial Officer. He was promoted to his current role of Chief Operating Officer and General Manager prior to the 2016 season.