| Steve Schmitt – Owner | |
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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 – Big Top Baseball President | |
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Stenman, 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 Mae (8), and son Bode (4) and live in Madison. He is originally from St. Cloud, MN. |
| Conor Caloia – Big Top Baseball Chief Operating Officer | |
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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. He is originally from St. Charles, Ill. |
| Liz Kern – Big Top Baseball Vice President | |
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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 – General Manager | |
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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 six 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. |
| Monica Wagner – Asst. General Manager – Tickets | |
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Monica enters her fourth season as Assistant General Manager and seventh season with the Mallards. She will continue her role as Director of Ticket Sales, managing the Mallards overall ticket operation. Monica works with local businesses to create business development opportunities as well as client and employee entertainment solutions. 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 in 2003, and completed her Masters in Sport Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2005. Whenever Monica isn’t at the ballpark she spends her time with her husband Lucas chasing around their 4 year old daughter, Cora and their 2 year old son, Leo! |
| Tristan Straub – Big Top Baseball – Executive Chef | |
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Straub will return to the Mallards for his fifth season as Executive Chef in 2015. He will oversee all culinary activity inside the “Duck Pond” including the Great Dane Duck Blind, Maynard’s Slide-In, Stoddard’s Smokehouse, the Main Concession stand, and the TDS Triple Play Club as well as various satelliete stands. Before coming to the Mallards, Straub served as a sous-chef for Hotel State College from 2000-2005 and was Employee of the Year there in 2002. He worked as a line cook for L’Etoile on the Madison capital square from 2005-2006 and as a line chef at Maple Bluff Country Club from 2006-2012. He also worked as a sous/pastry chef at Brickhouse BBQ from 2009-2012. In December 2014, his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts – Rhetorical Studies at the University of Wisconsin -Madison. He has two daughters – Isabella and Stella. He is originally from Philadelphia, PA. |
| Paige Schneider – Director of Special Projects | |
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Paige joined the Mallards in 2011 as a Hospitality and Ticketing Intern and returned the following summer as a seasonal Hospitality Manager. Paige never left and 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 is back with the Mallards and Big Top Baseball as the Director of Special Projects focusing on the new Great Dane Duck Blind suites and special events, while managing corporate sponsorship and activation. 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 the plethora of nieces and nephews she has, shopping, going to more baseball games, looking at puppy pictures, traveling, and cooking. Paige resides in Madison and is obsessed with her 1-year-old English Springer Spaniel, Boone. |
| Ashlea Klootwyk – Corporate Account Manager | |
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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 fifth 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. She is originally from Wautoma, WI. |
| Scott Preimesberger – Assistant General Manager – Inside Sales | |
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Scott Preimesberger returns to the Mallards for his fifth season in a new role as Assistant General Manager – Inside Sales. In this role, Scott is responsible for managing the inside ticket sales operation. He will also continue to work with his current book of business clients, helping to find solutions for their employee and client entertainment needs.
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, 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 560 domestic and international films, which he keeps alphabetized. When he isn’t alphabetizing movies, Scott enjoys 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, along with his girlfriend Kim, continues to adopt an increasingly Madisonian, hipster lifestyle as they explore the city’s scenic running paths, incredible culinary scene, and eclectic nightlife. |
| Alex Olson – Corporate Account Manager | |
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Energetic Alex Olson joins the Mallards full-time staff for the 2017 campaign, after working as a Ticketing Intern in 2016. He brings a poor fantasy football track record and over a hundred meals eaten at Chipotle.
Alex grew up in nearby-Milwaukee suburb Brookfield, where he attended Brookfield Central High School. He then went on to receive his B.S in Marketing from UW-Oshkosh, as well as completing a successful four year basketball career for the Titans. Alex will be working as a Corporate Account Manager this season. He is responsible for the management of sales and relationships within a wide range of Mallards fans. When pulled aside for an interview in the office in early fall and asked about his thoughts on this coming season, Alex replied, “We just have to take it one game at a time and continue to have the same success on and off the field.” |
| Austin Hansen – Season Ticket Sales Representative | |
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Austin Hansen joins the Mallards full-time staff this off-season after spending the last two summers with the team. The previous two summers he worked as a Ticket Operations intern and Seasonal Ticket Office Manager. Austin brings an easygoing, positive, and fun attitude to the office on a daily basis.
Austin attended Marian University where he graduated with B.S degrees in Sports Management and Marketing. During his time at Marian he was a pitcher on the baseball team and worked on campus as a tour guide. He takes a lot of pride in attending the small school in Fond du Lac and often calls it the greatest university in the world! He will now be taking on the role of Season Ticket Sales Representative where he will be responsible for selling Mallards season tickets, 7-game packs, 9-game packs and small group outings. Austin can’t wait to continue to build on current relationships and create new ones with all of the dedicated and passionate Mallards fans. |
| Michael Richmond – Group Accounts Manager | |
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Richmond enters his second season with the Mallards as a Group Accounts Manager. In this role, Richmond makes sure every one of his clients enjoy the game and their ticket package. During the games, you can catch Michael in the Duck Pond managing his usher staff of about 65 employees. In the off-season, he has taken on a new role of handling all of the Mallards donation requests. You can even see him at Breese Stevens Field working special events.In his free time, he enjoys being outside disc golfing, biking, and exploring Madison, but he is also a passionate movie collector owning around 150 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 fan. |
| Dylan Simkin – Inside Sales Representative | |
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Dylan Simkin joins the Mallards in 2017 as an Inside Sales Representative. After beginning his work in sports serving as a Stadium Operations Intern for the Gary SouthShore RailCats, his experience was followed by a role as an Assistant Baseball Coach at his former high school. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dylan attended Valparaiso University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. While at Valpo, Dylan also played wide receiver on the school’s football team.
Dylan is a die-hard hometown sports fan, following the Bengals, Reds, Bearcats, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his spare time, he enjoys competing in any type of sporting event, creating his own NFL mock drafts, hanging out with friends and family, and watching his favorite TV show, Sportscenter, until he can recite the lines delivered by the anchors. |
| Ty Hartman – Director of Operations | |
| Ty joined the Mallards in the Summer of 2015 as an event management intern. In 2016, Ty returned to the Mallards as the seasonal operations manager where he was responsible for ballpark operations. Towards the end of 2016 season, Ty was added as a pitcher to the Mallards roster for the final two weeks of the season.
In 2017, he accepted a full-time job as the Mallards Operations Manager. In this capacity, he manages and oversees the playing surface and operations throughout The Duck Pond. Ty played baseball and basketball at Cornell and graduated with a degree in Kinesiology in 2017. In his free time, he loves to fish and hunt with his friends and family. Ty also enjoys watching the Packers and Cubs games in his free time. He is from Lanark, Illinois.
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| Matt Phelps – Sous Chef | |
| Bio coming soon!
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| Macy Nguyen – Big Top Baseball Digital Marketing and Design Manager | |
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Macy enters her third season in a full-time role with Big Top Baseball and fifth season overall. Originally with aspirations to create awesome music videos, she quickly realized that MTV was no longer as cool as it once was and sports was actually what she preferred. Macy began her career in sports media as a Video and Webcast Production intern with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in 2013.
After working in a seasonal role in Wisconsin Rapids in 2014, she graduated from Crown College in St. Bonifacius, MN with a degree in Communications and moved to Madison to begin working with all four teams. In her role she works as the organization’s graphic designer and oversees the digital marketing and video production in each market. Originally from South Dakota, Macy is not a Packers fan (gasp), but enjoys watching any sporting event. She also enjoys being outside and exploring new places. She met her husband Max while working for the Rafters (#wittermagic) and they now reside in Madison. |
| Dave Boyer – Chef | |
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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. |
| Dr. John Orwin – Team Physician – UW Health Sports Medicine | |
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Dr. Orwin is board certified in orthopedic surgery and fellowship trained in sports medicine. In addition to his role as the head orthopedic team physician for the Madison Mallards, he provides medical coverage for Badger Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Ice Hockey, Track/Cross Country, Swimming/Diving, Crew, Tennis and Golf, as well as Men’s Wrestling, Women’s Softball and Volleyball. He specializes in sports medicine and arthroscopic reconstructive surgery of the shoulder. |
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| Dr. David Bernhardt – Team Physician – UW Health Sports Medicine | |
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Dr. Bernhardt specializes in pediatric and adolescent primary care sports medicine. He is board certified in pediatrics and fellowship trained in sports medicine. In addition to his role as the head medical team physician for the Madison Mallards, he provides medical coverage for Badger Men’s Basketball, Cross Country and Track, as well as Women’s Volleyball, Crew, Cross Country and Track. His special interests include all medical problems related to athletic activity and musculoskeletal syndromes related to running. |
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| Matt Uftring – Head Athletic Trainer – UW Health Sports Medicine | |
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Matt is a licensed athletic trainer with UW Health Sports Medicine and is in his fourth year with the Madison Mallards. In addition to his athletic training responsibilities for the Mallards, Matt is the Head Athletic Trainer for Waunakee High School. He also assists in coordinating medical coverage for the Madison Marathon and enjoys working in the orthopedic clinic setting with UW Health Sports Medicine physicians. |
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| Dr. Jeff Mackey – Team Chiropractor | |
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Dr. Mackey has been a longtime supporter of Mallards baseball both volunteering his services to the team and as a corporate sponsor of the club. His love of the game and his commitment to the community have made him an invaluable part of the Mallards team. |
| Dr. Jason Mackey – Team Chiropractor | |
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Dr. Jason brings a wealth of experience to the Mallards medical team. A former high level college player himself, Dr. Mackey understands the unique aspects of baseball as few others can. |
