We have personnel news today from the Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A Central) and the North Shore Navigators (NECBL).
In Wichita, Jason Gavigan joins the Wind Surge as the Director of Ticket Operations after spending nine seasons with the Hillsboro Hops (High-A West). Prior to his time in Hillsboro, Gavin spent two seasons with the Yakima Bears before assisting in the relocation of the franchise to Hillsboro for the 2013 season. Jason has a background in analytics which he applies to ticket operations.
With the Wind Surge, Gavigan will oversee the ticket operations for all events at Riverfront Stadium, as well as manage the stadium box office. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada and a Master’s degree in Sport and Athletic Administration from Gonzaga University.
Jason Wilson joins the Wind Surge as Director of Food and Beverage after spending the past 26 years helping to build the largest food-service company in Minor League Baseball. Wilson is a native of Michigan, but his career running foodservice operations in Minor League Baseball has taken him all over the country.
The Sales Department has added two new Account Executives. Nick Nelson joins the Wind Surge after working parts of seven seasons in professional baseball. Nelson has experience in a variety of roles with different organizations, including Food & Beverage, Stadium Operations, and Sales. His baseball career has included stints with the Rochester Honkers, Iowa Cubs, Missoula Paddleheads, Clinton Lumberkings, Bradenton Marauders, and the Southern Illinois Miners. He is a graduate of Iowa State University.
Kansas native Christian Newell joins the Wind Surge as an Account Executive after seven years in customer service and sales roles. Newell began his sport journey by earning his Associated Degree in Sport Medicine from Brown Mackie College in Saline, KS. He continued his education at Wichita State University where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management.
Tanner Olmstead joins the Wind Surge as the in-house Accountant and Office Manager. Olmstead comes to the Wind Surge after working as a payroll specialist for a Wichita company. He has a degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Wichita State University.
In Lynn, the North Shore Navigators announced the promotion of Swampscott native Maggie Barden to General Manager for their upcoming 2022 season.
Barden is entering her third season with the organization and becomes the youngest female GM in summer collegiate baseball. She is also the third female GM in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. In her new role, she will assist President Derek January with all day-to-day operations of the franchise.
“Maggie is a future star in the sports world,” January said. “She’s learned so much and has an incredible passion to make sure the Navs are successful. It won’t surprise me to one day see her running a franchise of one of the four major sports.”
Barden joined the organization in the Spring 2020. She was hired as the Director of Interns and quickly became a key member of the staff, preparing the Navigators and Fraser Field for the inaugural season under the ownership of the January Family.
Barden was named Assistant General Manager at the end of the 2020 season, and General Manager of Game Day Operations during the 2021 season.
“I cannot thank the January family enough for this opportunity. I am extremely excited for the upcoming season,” Barden said. “I have learned so much the past two years with the team and I am just excited to see what we can do this year. I am so grateful for the people in this organization, like staff, interns, players and fans who have become more like a summer family.”
Barden will be graduating from Springfield College in May with a major in Sports Management and a minor in Psychology. She is a Dean’s List student, a student ambassador and a former student-athlete on the women’s soccer team who was named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team.
During her time at Springfield, she has also worked game day operations for the American Hockey League’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the Spalding HoopHall Classic, and the College of the Holy Cross. She is currently interning in the Athletics Department at Providence College.