Ryan enters his 26th season in the Northwoods League and 15th year as the owner of the Willmar Stingers. Ryan was the General Manager for the Alexandria Beetles from 2001-2006 where he earned the Northwoods League Executive of the Year honors after the 2002 season. Before Alexandria, Ryan was the Assistant General Manager for the River Bats in 1998 and 1999 and the Director of Marketing for the United Way of Central Minnesota in 2000. In 2007, Ryan rejoined the River Bats as team’s Vice President and also served as the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers Vice President in 2009. Ryan is originally from Cold Spring, MN graduated from St. Cloud State with a degree in Mass Communications and and he and his wife Melissa have two children Noah and Eva.
Marc enters his 24th year in the Northwoods League and his 15th year as owner of the Willmar Stingers. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management at St. John’s University, Marc began his Northwoods League career with an internship in the inaugural season for the Alexandria Beetles. That quickly led to the Assistant GM position with the River Bats that he held for three years, before being promoted to the team’s GM in 2005. In 2007, Marc was promoted to the team’s Vice President and was also voted the Northwoods League Executive of the Year for his efforts. In 2009, Marc served as the Vice President for the St. Cloud River Bats and the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers. Originally from Miaca, MN, Marc and his wife Janet have two children, Callie and Myla.
Keaton enters his 3rd year with the Northwoods League. All 3 years with Willmar. Keaton graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Business Management in 2024. Keaton started out as a Hospitality Intern during the 2023 season, moving to Hospitality and Operations Manager during the 2024 season, and now currently serving as the organization’s Assistant General Manager. Keaton is originally from Minnetonka, MN.
Dalton Guthrie, a soon-to-be graduate of the University of North Alabama, will join the Stingers as the new Director of Ballpark Operations. Guthrie is no stranger to Bill Taunton Stadium, having spent last summer with the Stingers as a Hospitality Intern. In his new position, Guthrie will oversee the daily operations of the ballpark, ensuring an outstanding game day experience for fans, players, and staff alike.
Chris Woods, who served as a promotions intern with the Stingers during the 2023 season, returns to Willmar as the team’s new Promotions Director. Over the two years, Woods furthered his career in sports management as an Account Executive with the Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), where he played a key role in fan engagement and ticketing operations.
Angie Hoppe and Stacy Gillespie help lead the organization’s host family program which includes educating new families, matching families with each student athlete on the Stingers roster and coordinating activities throughout the year. Hoppe and Gillespie have been a part of the Stingers organization for the past eight years as host families and in their 6th season as coordinators of the Host Family Program.
Jessica Slavik has been the team trainer for over ten years. She is also a licensed athletic trainer for CentraCare.