“Gwinnett Business Radio” was on site at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA, home of the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
Learn about the business side of sports and what happens behind-the-scenes of a baseball game as hosts Mike Sammond, Steven Julian, Harper Lebel, and producer Dan Braverman spoke with members of the Stripers front office about what they do before, during, and after every game.
2nd Inning: McClain “Mac” Murphy, Director of Field Operations (Interview starts at 7:00)
McClain enters his seventh year overseeing sports turf for the Gwinnett Stripers in 2023. This year will be his 12th in professional baseball. Gwinnett’s Assistant Sports Turf Manager for three seasons from 2012-14, he rejoined the club in March 2017 following two seasons as the Sports Turf Manager for the Altoona Curve (Double-A, Pittsburgh Pirates) from 2015-17. He got his start in baseball in 2010 as a Seasonal Sports Turf Assistant with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Advanced-A, Texas Rangers).
4th Inning: Kyle Kamerbeek, Manager of Marketing (17:50)
Kyle enters his fourth year with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2023, his second leading the team’s Marketing efforts. He spent the previous two seasons as the Promotions Coordinator. Prior to joining Gwinnett, he served as the Promotions Assistant for the Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A, Houston Astros) for three seasons from 2017-19. His previous experience includes positions with the Houston Astros (Street Team and Mascot Handler from 2012-16) and the NFL’s Houston Texans (Promotions Team and Tailgate Judge from 2012-2020).
5th Inning: Dave Lezotte, Public Relations Manager and Radio Broadcaster (27:45)
Dave enters his 12th year with Gwinnett in 2023, his third as the “Voice of the Stripers.” He has handled the team’s media relations/PR functions since November 2011, and previously served as the No. 2 broadcaster from 2013-19. On the air with Gwinnett, Dave has handled the play-by-play for over 400 games, including the team’s playoff-clinching wins and resulting playoff runs in both 2016 and 2019. In addition to his role on the radio, he also served as the color analyst during Gwinnett television broadcasts from 2013-14.
Dave’s baseball career spans 23 seasons, including 17 in Minor League Baseball. Prior to joining Gwinnett, he spent six seasons as the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Clinton LumberKings (Class-A, Midwest League). He got his start in baseball in 2000 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers Grounds Crew and went on to work parts of seven seasons at Milwaukee County Stadium and Miller Park. He eventually moved up to the press box as the research intern for Brewers Baseball on Fox Sports North (2003-05), and briefly rejoined the Brewers as a Ticket Sales Representative in the fall of 2007.
6th Inning: Avery Kesler, Manager of Stadium Operations (41:15)
Avery enters his first season leading the Stadium Operations department for the Stripers in 2023. He previously served as the Stadium Operations Coordinator in 2022, the Stadium Operations Trainee from 2020-21, and as a member of the Coolray FIeld parking lot staff from 2016-19.
7th Inning: Erin McCormick, General Manager (49:25)
Erin enters her second season as the Gwinnett Stripers’ General Manager, named the fourth GM in team history on October 1, 2021. She previously served as Gwinnett’s Assistant General Manager from December 2018 through September 2021. In her four seasons with the Stripers, she has assisted in all facets of the club’s operation, directly overseeing all advertising, sponsorship implementation, ballpark entertainment, digital and social media, media relations, community relations, and merchandise.
With 15 years of Minor League Baseball experience, Erin previously spent one season with the Birmingham Barons (Double-A, Chicago White Sox), three seasons with the Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A, San Francisco Giants), five seasons with the Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A, St. Louis Cardinals), two seasons with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A, Kansas City Royals) and two seasons in her native Corpus Christi with the Hooks (Double-A, Houston Astros).
8th Inning: Chopper the Groundhog (Mascot) and Handler Josh Stevens (1:02:25)
Chopper the Groundhog is proud to be the official mascot of the Gwinnett Stripers. Chopper was born on September 15, 2008 in Gwinnett County, GA and is a descendant of General Beauregard Lee, Georgia’s famous weather prognosticator. Catch him cheering with fans throughout Coolray Field all season long. When he’s not at the games, Chopper can be found at public events all over Gwinnett County and beyond.
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