FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are announcing today that General Manager Chris Ward will be stepping down from his current position and leaving the organization in the coming months.

Ward, a graduate from Illinois State University, joined the Dock Spiders in the Fall of 2016 as the Director of Ticket Sales.  He was promoted to Assistant General Manager after two successful seasons.  In the Fall of 2019, Ward was named the Dock Spiders General Manager and guided the team through the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“Chris has been a member of the Dock Spiders organization from the beginning and has been a key contributor to the success we have achieved in Fond du Lac,” said Dock Spiders President/CEO, Rob Zerjav.  “We are excited to see what his next career step might be and wish Chris nothing but the best in his next endeavor.”

Ward noted that the decision to leave the Dock Spiders was a difficult one as he has made many lasting connections with the Fond du Lac community and fans.

“I will forever be grateful to Ryan and Rob for giving me an opportunity to fulfill my dream of working in a front office of a sports team and allowing me to be a part of the start-up of the Dock Spiders five years ago,” Ward said. “To the fans, host families, ticket package holders, sponsors, and Fond du Lac County, thank you for supporting this team and me throughout the years. You made this a great place to call home the past five years and provided an incredible experience that will never be replaced.”

The Dock Spiders will be announcing new staff additions next week.

The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.dockspiders.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Dock Spiders as your favorite team.