STEVE SCHMITT

Schmitt’s passion for the game and extraordinary attention to customer service are two big reasons why Mallards baseball has become a summertime mainstay in Madison. Since 2001 the Mallards have made the playoffs seven times, including Northwoods League Championships in 2004 and 2013, and appearances in the Championship Series in 2005 & 2008. Schmitt’s teams have accumulated 482 regular season wins since the franchise’s inception and have finished at-least in the top-half of the division standings for every year but two. Also the owner of the Shoe Box and Rookies Sports Bar in Black Earth, WI, Steve is actively involved in the community and is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan. He is also the owner of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Kenosha Kingfish, and Green Bay Bullfrogs, all of the Northwoods League.

VERN STENMAN

Hometown: Rockville, MN

Alma Mater: St. Cloud State

UniversityStenman, the 2003 and 2005 Northwoods League Executive of the Year, is entering his nineteenth season in the NWL. His innovative promotional ideas and steady vision have contributed to the Mallards consistently ranking in the top 25 in attendance in all of Minor League Baseball. He has helped draw over 200,000 fans per year from 2006 through 2015. Prior to Madison he was an intern and later Assistant GM for the St. Cloud River Bats from 1997 to 2000 before taking a position with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild for a year. As the President of Big Top Baseball his role also includes management and part ownership of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Kenosha Kingfish and Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods League. Stenman and wife Kallie have two children, daughter Chloe (10), and son Bode Axel (6) and live in Madison. He is originally from St. Cloud, MN. FunFact: In his free time, Stenman builds American Ninja inspired obstacles for his kids.

CONOR CALOIA
Conor@MallardsBaseball.com
Big Top Sports & Entertainment COO

Hometown: St. Charles, IL

Alma Mater: UW Madison

As the COO of Big Top Baseball and along with President Vern Stenman, Caloia oversees the Madison Mallards, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Kenosha Kingfish and Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods League, Breese Stevens Field and Festival Foods Shake the Lake. Caloia is entering his 12th season with the organization after starting as a public relations intern for the Mallards in 2003.

After serving as the Mallards Assistant General Manager for two seasons, Caloia relocated to Denver to work as the Director of Marketing of the Western Athletic Conference. Following his stint with the WAC, Caloia served as the Director of Operations for the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plains League. Under his leadership the Sharks hosted the 2009 CPL All-Star Game and were named the 2009 CPL Organization of the Year.

He returned to Madison in December of 2009 as General Manager of the Mallards and was named the Northwoods League Executive of the Year in 2011. Caloia was involved in the founding of the Kenosha Kingfish (2013), acquisition of the Green Bay Bullfrogs (2013), the creation of Festival Food Shake the Lake (2015) and the re-birth of Breese Stevens Field (2016).

In addition to his responsibilities with Big Top Baseball, Caloia is on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.

He received his undergraduate degree from of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Journalism and a focus on Strategic Communication and his M.B.A. from the UW-Madison. He lives on the near west side of Madison with his wife Rachel, daughter Ella, and son Keegan.

LIZ KERN

Alma Mater: UW La Crosse

Liz Kern started working for the Madison Mallards in 2004 as a game day employee. She was invited back each season after that and continued to expand her roles until she took on a full time position in 2007. In 2007 she became the Customer Service and Box Office Manager. In 2010 Liz was promoted to General Manager of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, making her the first female GM in Northwoods League history. After four successful and fun season in Wis Rapids, Liz moved to Green Bay to be the GM for the fourth team to be added to the newly named Big Top Baseball. In 2016, after 11 years with the organization, Liz moved back to Madison and is now the Vice President of Big Top Baseball. In this new role, she works primarily with HR, payroll and special events. Liz has been part of some spectacular events in BTB history including: June 4, 2004 when the Mallards drew over 10,000 fans to the game that evening; June 6, 2010 – the inaugural game for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters; May 31, 2014 – the inaugural game for the Kenosha Kingfish; and August 6, 2015 – the highest attended game in Green Bay Bullfrogs franchise history featuring Mike McCarthy as a guest, as well as many more events along the way. Liz enjoys seeing fans enjoying the ballpark from the minute they get to the ballpark until they leave.

TYLER ISHAM

Hometown: Walworth, WI

Alma Mater: Beloit College

Tyler joined the Mallards in 2011 and is responsible for driving corporate sponsorship revenue and the overall performance of the club. He holds a BA in Communications from Beloit College. He has worked through all aspects of the organizations in his eight summers with the club; ticket sales and service, marketing, corporate advertising, operations, and food and beverage.

In his free time, Isham enjoys a day on the links, playing Magic the Gathering at the local card shop, and leading the Mallards front office MSCR basketball team in the winter months. He is also a Badger football and basketball fan.

His favorite parts of being a Mallard include interacting with season ticket holders, being a part of the corporate community, and having the freedom to be able to come up with wacky and crazy ideas. His best memory as a Mallard came when Alex Bacon hit a two run homer in the top of the 9th inning to propel the Mallards to victory over the Lakeshore Chinooks in the NWL Divisional series in 2013. They eventually went on to win a championship that season.

He resides in Madison, WI with his wife Veronica and son, Coleman.

MONICA WAGNER
Monica@MallardsBaseball.com
Vice President, Corporate Ticket Sales

Hometown: La Crosse, WI

Alma Mater: UW La Crosse

Monica enters her fifth season as Assistant General Manager and eighth season overall with the Mallards. She will continue her role as Director of Ticket Sales, managing the Mallards overall ticket operation. Previously, Wagner has worked for Life Time Fitness and the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club. Monica received her Undergrad in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and completed her Masters in Sport Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Whenever Monica isn’t at the ballpark she enjoys spending time with her husband Lucas and kids Cora and Leo. They love to travel, cook, attend sporting events and be outside!

TRISTAN STRAUB

Hometown: Philedelphia, PA

Alma Mater: UW Madison

Tristan Straub is embarking on his eighth annual journey navigating the Food and Beverage landscape of the Duck Pond, armed only with his expertise, wit, and determination to vanquish hunger and defeat culinary insipidness at all costs. His journey began long ago as a dishwasher in the faraway land of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then scaled the mountainous terrain of Central PA to find a culinary oasis at Hotel State College, where he would serve the great people of State College as Sous-Chef from 2000-2004 and reign as Employee of the Year throughout 2002. In 2005, Straub would relocate to Madison and work under the tutelage of Chef Tory Miller at L’Etoile; leading to a five-year stint at Maple Bluff Country Club from 2006-2012 and a three-year run as Sous-Chef/Pastry Chef at Brickhouse BBQ. In 2014, following a 15 year hiatus from secondary education, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts – Rhetorical Studies with an emphasis on Social Justice discourse from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Straub’s greatest achievements came in 2011 and 2014, respectively: Two brilliant, hilarious, and beautiful daughters – Isabella and Stella. In his free time, Tristan relishes in the splendor of fine literature, cinema, writing, and auditory pleasures spanning all forms of wonderful music human history has to offer.

PAIGE SCHNEIDER

Hometown: Random Lake, WI

Alma Mater: University of Minnesota

Paige joined the Mallards in 2011 as a Hospitality and Ticketing Intern and returned the following summer as a seasonal Hospitality Manager. Paige joined full time in the winter of 2013 after graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Sport Management. In season, she managed corporate sponsorship, game day hospitality areas, and special events. Once Big Top Baseball acquired more teams, Paige shifted into a Big Top Baseball role as the Director of Corporate Service and Hospitality continuing to oversee hospitality, events, and sponsorship for all four teams. After a brief hiatus in 2015, Paige returned with the Mallards and Big Top Baseball as the Director of Sponsorship Activation and Events focusing on the new Great Dane Duck Blind suites and special events, while managing and overseeing corporate sponsorship and activation. In 2019, Paige shifted roles and is now the Director of Marketing, focusing mainly on sponsorship activation and marketing as a whole. Paige is originally from Random Lake, WI (yes, it exists and yes, there is a lake) where she still visits frequently to see her family. In her free time she enjoys exercising, spending time with her four nieces and one nephew, shopping, going to more baseball games, reading, looking at puppy pictures, traveling, and cooking. Paige resides in Stoughton, WI with her fiance Chase and is obsessed with her English Springer Spaniel, Boone.

SCOTT PREIMESBERGER

Alma Mater: UW Madison

Scott Preimesberger rejoins the Madison Mallards for the 2019 season where he will serve as the Director of Inside Sales for both the Mallards and Madison Pro Soccer. In this role, Scott is responsible for managing the inside sales team while overseeing all group and season ticket accounts for both organizations. In 2018, Scott transplanted to Kenosha where he served as General Manager. Prior to that, he spent 5 summers with the Madison Mallards finding group outing and fundraising solutions for non-profits, facilitating client and employee appreciation events for area businesses, and serving as a leader among the sales team.

Originally from Appleton, WI, Scott graduated from UW-Madison with his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts in 2009, and later went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from Valparaiso University in 2012. After landing a student job working in video production for the UW-Madison Athletic Department in 2007, Scott fell in love with working in a sports atmosphere.

For recreation, Scott is an avid, life-long professional wrestling fan, having attended 5 WrestleMania events along with many other live televised events and pay-per-views, dating back to his first live show in 1996. A master of embracing a nerdy hobby, Scott is a lover of cinema and a collector of over 700 domestic and international films, which he keeps alphabetized. When he isn’t alphabetizing movies, Scott enjoys spending quality bro time and negotiating trade deals in his year-round dynasty fantasy football leagues. He also bleeds green and gold and will forever be a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

Scott lives near Oconomowoc with his girlfriend Kim and their ferocious corgi Cooper. The couple enjoys traveling, exploring the Madison and Milwaukee culinary scenes, and attending music festivals.

MOLLY SCHICANTEK, CPA

Alma Mater: University of Minnesota

Molly is looking forward to her first season with Big Top Baseball, taking on accounting and financial analysis for the Madison Mallards, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Green Bay Bullfrogs, Kenosha Kingfish and Breese Stevens Field.

Molly discovered a passion for sports and entertainment while she was an undergrad at the University of Minnesota. She got her start by performing tasks as varied as stagehand, mosh pit security, and concert booker. Molly kickstarted her professional career in box office management before completing a Master’s Degree in Accounting at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2008, Molly joined the finance team at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, overseeing financial reporting. After 10 years with the Center, Molly is excited to bring her industry experience to Big Top Baseball.

When not crunching numbers, Molly enjoys defying common perceptions of accountants. She is happiest in the woods enjoying hiking, trail running, camping, or a good hammock hang. In winter she can usually be found curling in local leagues and tournaments. Molly currently serves on the Wauwatosa Curling Club Board and volunteers for the Lakefront Festival of Art finance committee.

ASHLEA KLOOTWYK
Ashlea@MallardsBaseball.com
Corporate Account Manager

Alma Mater: UW La Crosse

If you ask Ashlea about her favorite moment with the Mallards she would begin to tell a story about when a little boy dropped his ice cream. You’d probably question why her favorite moment would involve such a catastrophic event, but Ashlea saw the mishap as a perfect opportunity to turn one small fan into a customer for life. After replacing the cone and seeing the smile on the boy’s face, it reaffirmed the importance of the fan experience as more than just the events happening on the baseball field. Ashlea translates her passion for a positive fan experience into her everyday role with the Mallards. Klootwyk, in her sixth season with the Mallards, is a Corporate Account Representative. Her goal is to help local companies plan their outings to the ballpark and make them as enjoyable and seamless as possible. With a background in sales and customer service she enjoys working in an environment where she has the freedom to be creative and directly make a positive impact on customers.Klootwyk completed her bachelors of science degree in Business Management in the spring of 2008 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She lives in Madison with her husband Rob and her two children. In her free time, Ashlea loves spending time with her family and experiencing all that the Madison Area has to offer.

SKYLER RUSCH
Skyler@MallardsBaseball.com
Senior Corporate Account Manager

Hometown: Middleton, WI

Alma Mater: Denison University

Skyler rejoins the Mallards staff as a Senior Corporate Account Manager. Rusch was with the Mallards from 2012-14, and he is excited to be back after splitting the last 4 years between pharmaceutical and software sales.

Rusch graduated from Denison University in 2012 with a degree in Spanish and Communications. In addition to creating lifelong relationships, his biggest takeaway from college was discovering his passion for foreign language and travelling; he studied abroad in Alicante, Spain for four months in 2010 and spent the 2011 and 2012 summers interning in Barcelona, Spain.

Although he considers himself a Brewers fan, Rusch spends most of his time supporting the Green Bay Packers and Liverpool Football Club. During fall and spring weekends, you’re most likely to find Skyler on the couch at 8am watching soccer. Whether it’s the Merseyside Derby or a clash between mid-table clubs in the Turkish Süper Lig, Rusch watches with equal enthusiasm.

MICHAEL RICHMOND

Hometown: Two Rivers, WI

Alma Mater: UW Green Bay

Michael Richmond enters his fourth season with the Mallards and first as a 5-Game Pack Extraordinaire. In this role, Richmond makes sure every one of his ticket package holders enjoys the game and has a great experience. In the off-season, he also assists with many various tasks including staffing and working events. You can even see him at Breese Stevens Field working special events or Forward Madison FC games. In his free time, he enjoys being outside disc golfing, watching baseball, and exploring Madison, but he is also a passionate movie collector owning around 200 films. He brings that same passion to the Mallards as he is always looking for ways to improve himself and the team. He holds a BA in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and is an avid Packer, Brewers and Bucks fan. FUN FACTS: Michael is a huge E-Sports fan and loves to cheer on his favorite team TSM.

ERIC SCHUERMAN

Hometown: Greendale, WI

Alma Mater: UW Whitewater

Eric joined the Madison Mallards in 2016, and is in his second season in the front office. After interning and working in a seasonal role in the Food and Beverage department, he moved to inside sales in 2018. Eric has had a passion for sports his whole life, growing up playing soccer, baseball, and football, and working in fitness and athletics throughout college. Eric graduated from the prestigious UW-Whitewater in 2017 with his Masters in Athletics Administration. When he’s not brightening the days of Mallards fans, you can find Eric on the golf course, playing with his roommates lovely dog Koda, and supporting The NL Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers, and future NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

MATT PHELPS
MattPhelps@MallardsBaseball.com

Hometown: Burlington, WI

Matt Phelps joined the Madison Mallards in April of 2017 as Sous Chef. He is responsible for the food production in the Great Dane Duck Blind, Tricor/West Bend Club, game-day suite food and daily specials through out the ballpark.

Matt hails from Burlington, WI, where he got his start at an early age washing dishes at family restaurants. Through the years he has continued developing his culinary skills while traveling the world; living and working in Los Angeles and eventually landing back in Wisconsin. During his time in Madison he has focused on his culinary career and furthered his knowledge of hospitality by working as the Executive Sous Chef of Graze.

In his free time he enjoys drinking cocktails and cinema classics such as Caddy Shack and Major League. As an avid Brewers and Packer fan, he can be spotted grilling brats at either tailgate party.

CASSIDY SEPNIESKI

Hometown: Green Bay, WI

Alma Mater: UW Eau Claire

Cassidy Sepnieski begins her rookie season with the Mallards in the brand new Creative Services Specialist position. Equipped with a marketing and graphic design degree from UW-Eau Claire, she’s ready to handle any curveball thrown her way (puns always intended and encouraged).

Growing up in Green Bay, WI sparked Cassidy’s passion for sports which she pursued throughout high school and college. Her experience with her university’s athletics and recreation departments and a local music festival opened her eyes to the world of fast paced live entertainment, which she thrives in. Cassidy lives for the smiles on fans faces after a successful event, and is excited to be a part of such a great, tight-knit community.

In her off time she loves to read, watch HBO Original Shows, and exploring Madison.

DELANEY MILLER

Hometown: Waterford, WI

Alma Mater: UW La Crosse

Delaney begins her second season with the Mallards as the Sponsorship Activation and Community Relations Coordinator. While earning her Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and business management from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Delaney quickly realized that working in sports felt like home. She spent three years working in various roles within the UW-La Crosse Athletics department and spent summers interning with both the Lakeshore Chinooks and the Milwaukee Brewers. Delaney never gets tired of the energy fans bring to the Duck Pond and looks forward to taking on another season with the Mallards.

In her spare time, you can find her taking semi-spontaneous road trips, binge watching Netflix, taking in a sporting event, or smothering her three dogs with too much love and affection.

ERIK JAECKEL

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Alma Mater: Madison College

Erik Jaeckel enters his sixth season with the Madison Mallards, his second season as a full time staff member. He is responsible for supporting the Mallards outside ticket sales team in the execution of successful corporate outings/events.

Erik comes from Milwaukee, WI, where he learned to love baseball watching the Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium. Over the years he has gained valuable knowledge about hospitality working in restaurants and hotels. Most recently, he arranged bookings for a musical entertainment company. He is looking forward to using his skills and knowledge to facilitate new off-season corporate events and weddings.

Now living in Waunakee, he spends his free time working with a local high school, running sound for the marching band and theater events. Even though he loves baseball, his favorite sport is Hockey – Go Preds!

ALLISON CONTRERAS

Hometown: Janesville, WI

Alma Mater: Madison Media Institute

This is her first season with the Madison Mallards. After graduating she started as a graphic designer at the Kalahari, mainly focusing on web and email design. She is looking forward to expanding her design arsenal here with the Mallards. Growing up in Janesville, WI she spent most of her time making crafts and playing outside. As she got older her love for art and design only grew, prompting her to find a career that wouldn’t feel like work.

She grew up in a very sporty family. Both her parents played softball and volleyball her whole childhood. As she grew older she got the itch to play instead of just spectating. At age 7 she started playing softball, bowling at 7, volleyball at 9, and skiing at 10.

She still enjoys playing sports in her free time, but her favorite thing is hanging out with her husband and making fun of her cats. She is looking forward to her first season with the Madison Mallards.

Hometown: Denver, IA

Alma Mater: University of Dubuque

This is his first season as a full-time employee on the inside sales team. He joined the Mallards as a marketing and promotions intern last summer. He is now the group accounts manager for nonprofit communities, retirement homes, dance/martial arts/fitness groups, and libraries. He graduated from the University of Dubuque with a Bachelors degree in Sport Marketing and Management and a minor in health and wellness, where he was a 4-year student athlete as a member of the Spartans football team. As a huge Minnesota Vikings fan, he is interested in anything sports related. He grew up in a small town in northeast Iowa called Denver also referred to as the “mile wide city.”

His passion for sports started at a very young age mainly due to his grandfathers interest in football. From then on he was a 5-sport athlete in high school and continued that passion through playing football in college.

In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his dog, as well as venturing new places in the Madison area, and arguing with local Wisconsin fans about how much better the Vikings are than the Packers (he’s wrong). He is looking forward to a great season with the Mallards to develop new skills for his journey to a successful sports career! Go Lards

Eric Katz

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Alma Mater: Quincy University

Eric will be entering his first season as a Group Accounts Manager with the Madison Mallards in 2019. In his role, he serves daycares, churches, military groups, birthday parties and is the lead contact for the Mallards annual kids’ day. Prior to joining the Mallards, Eric interned for the Chicago Bandits professional fastpitch softball team and the Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League. He also worked in the athletic departments at the College of DuPage and Quincy University.

Originally from Naperville, IL, Eric graduated from College of DuPage with an Associate Arts degree in 2016. He then transferred to Quincy University where he attained a BS in Sport Management. Eric credits his sport management professor, Elysia Mahoney for her help in developing him professionally.

In his free time, Eric likes to watch sports and movies, try different restaurants, exercise, travel, volunteer in the community, hike, camp and play fantasy football. He also avidly roots for the Bears, Yankees and Blackhawks. Although not a huge follower of the NBA; his favorite basketball players include Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, the Greek freak, D-Wade, Russell Westbrook and Shaq.

Eric currently resides in Madison.

DAVE BOYER

Chef

Hometown: Oconomowoc, WI

Boyer has been Head of Concessions for the Madison Mallards since 2004. Boyer, who has over 40 years of experience in the food service industry is also the General Manager of Rookies Food & Spirits in Mazomanie, WI. Boyer is an integral part of the day to day food and beverage operations at the “Duck Pond.” Boyer hails from Oconomowoc, WI.