We have personnel news to report from the Pawtucket Red Sox (Class AAA; International League) and the Lansing Lugnuts (Low A; Midwest League).
The PawSox have announced the addition of longtime Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) broadcaster Mike Antonellis to their broadcast team. He will join Josh Maurer and Jim Cain, as iHeart Radio for the 14th straight year presents PawSox Baseball on the radio.
WHJJ NewsRadio 920 AM and 104.7 FM, whose signals cover all of Rhode Island and much of Southeastern Massachusetts, will broadcast all 140 regular-season games, potential playoff games, as well as the July 15 Triple-A All-Star Game and the September 22 Triple-A National Championship Game. They headline a list of at least 9 stations on the PawSox Radio Network.
Antonellis joins the PawSox after spending 15 years as the voice of the Sea Dogs, Boston’s Double-A affiliate. Born and raised in Massachusetts, he replaces Mike Monaco, who, after three years with the PawSox, is doing play-by-play of select Boston Red Sox games on NESN while also working full-time on ESPN’s ACC Network. Monaco is the 9th former Pawtucket announcer currently in the Major Leagues.
The 2020 season is Antonellis’s 24th in professional baseball after making stops with the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA; Eastern League), Kane County Cougars (Low A; Midwest League), Syracuse SkyChiefs (Class AAA; International League) and Utica Blue Sox (Short Season A; NY-Penn League), and the Potomac Cannons (High A; Carolina League). During his time with the Sea Dogs, Antonellis called three games at Fenway Park, two All-Star games, and one Eastern League Championship.
Over the years, Antonellis has filled in on Red Sox broadcasts from Spring Training and joined Tom Caron on the NESN telecast of the 2015 Eastern League All-Star game from Hadlock Field in Portland.
A veteran of over 3,000 minor league games, Antonellis has called college and high school sports around the Northeast. In addition, his podcast “Behind the Mike” features guests from the sports world and takes listeners behind the scenes of the broadcasting world.
The native of Ashland, MA attended Dean Junior College and Framingham State College. Antonellis now resides in nearby Grafton, MA. He got his start in radio calling Milford, MA Legion Baseball on WMRC which is an affiliate station on the PawSox Radio Network.
Antonellis will call most road games together with Josh Maurer, while both will also work with Cain to handle PawSox home radio and television duties.
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In Lansing, the Lugnuts have announced three new additions to the front office staff in Director of Stadium Events Greg Kigar, Box Office Manager Kaitlyn Reed and Head Groundskeeper Paul Kuhna.
“We are thrilled to welcome Greg, Kaitlyn and Paul to our team here with the Lugnuts,” said Lansing Lugnuts General Manager Tyler Parsons. “Greg brings an incredible amount of experience and is well respected in the sports industry. We’re fortunate to add someone of his caliber to our staff. Kaitlyn impressed us immediately with her enthusiasm and she brings a terrific background that will translate well to our box office. She’s a rising star in the industry and will make a tremendous addition. And Paul is someone we were well acquainted with, as he worked with us during the 2017 season. He did an amazing job the last few years in West Virginia, and when we had an opening, we immediately thought of him. I have no doubt that our field will continue to rank among the best in MiLB under his guidance.”
A native of Gladwin, Mich., Kigar brings over 25 years of experience to the Lugnuts. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports studies from Central Michigan University and his master’s degree in sports management from Western Illinois University, working as Intramural Coordinator at Notre Dame, Event Manager at the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, Director of Operations at the Dow Events Center, Assistant Athletic Director at Central Michigan University and the very first Director of Stadium Operations for the Great Lakes Loons (Low A; Midwest League)
“I see this as a job to work with Tyler Parsons and [Vice President of Business Development] Steve Malliet and find different ways for people to experience Cooley Law School Stadium,” said Kigar. “Every ancillary event we have here gives people the chance to see the stadium. The fun part of my job is to figure out what else we can we fit in here.”
Reed is also a graduate of Central Michigan University, where she majored in general management and minored in hospitality. A native of Muskegon, Mich., she interned at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City; served as Customer Service Manager, Ticket Operations, for the Muskegon Lumberjacks; and worked as Box Office Representative at DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
“I grew up with my dad trying to get to me to like baseball,” said Reed, a Detroit Red Wings fan. “I’m excited now to see the inside part of it.”
Kuhna, a native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., graduated with a degree in turfgrass management from Michigan State University. He interned with the Detroit Tigers in 2016 before joining the Lugnuts as Assistant Groundskeeper in 2017. For the past two seasons, he served as the Head Groundskeeper for the West Virginia Power (Low A; Sally League).
“I’m extremely excited to be back in a place where I spent five years of my life,” said Kuhna.