The Surge, an Empire Pro-League team is coming back for their third season starting June 23, however, a major change has been made to the face of the team.
Alex Markakis, the previous general manager has stepped down from the position to advance his career as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles.
Sean Getchell is the new man for the job.
Getchell is a recent graduate from the University of Southern Maine, and has a degree in sports management and finance.
He has interned in the past for different teams including the Portland Sea Dogs for two seasons, and was with the Surge baseball team last year doing the game-day operations.
According to Getchell, he has always loved baseball and has thought of it as his favorite sport. In fact, he has played the sport for 13 years.
“It has always been my dream to be a general manager of a baseball team, and to have an offer was something I couldn’t pass up,” Getchell said.
As general manager, Getchell ‘s duties include managing all the sponsorships, getting the marketing for the team complete, hiring interns, setting up promos, and making sure everything runs smoothly with game-day operations.
“There’s a lot to do in a good amount of time, and we just have to work through it. I’m confident that we will get it all done,” he said.
Getchell has many hopes and goals for the upcoming season.
One of them includes getting the team more involved within the community. For instance, he hopes to line up a newsfeed in order to communicate with the community.
“I would definitely like to get some more fans in than last year. I feel that we really need to reach out to the community and get them back,” Getchell said. “We need to be able to work better with the community and show them we are here to stay not only to make money, but to provide them with entertainment. I believe that we can get a strong base within the community.”
He says he would also like to work on getting college and high school interns to help out during the season.
“One thing I’m going to do with interns this year is expand on their roles. I hope to give them a little bit more freedom and options to make their own decisions and see how that works,” Getchell said.
Another goal that he has for this season is to secure sponsorships for the team.
In between innings during the games, the children in attendance will be welcome to participate in fun activities on the field and Getchell said he hopes to secure good sponsorships, so there are prizes for the children participating.
With time dwindling before the start of the season, Getchell is working hard to get everything in tip-top shape.
The players are expected to arrive this week for spring training, and the team’s first game is scheduled for June 23.
So fans should get ready to support pro baseball in Old Orchard and have a “grand slam” of a time at a reasonable ticket price.
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