Copperheads Begin Season on June 6th
Copperheads Begin Season on June 6th
The Southern Ohio Copperheads will begin their 2023 season on Tuesday, June 6th at 7:00pm where they will host the Grand Lake Mariners at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens, Ohio. The game marks the first game that all collegiate baseball players on the Copperheads roster will play together. The team includes players from all around the country from states such as California, Florida, Georgia, and New York. There is even an international presence on the team with one player who grew up in Melbourne, Australia and currently plays collegiate baseball at Arizona Western College. The team is led by Head Coach Jonathan Shiver, who enters his first year coaching the team.
The beginning of the season also marks the culmination of the work from the Copperheads student staff. As a non-profit community owned and student operated team, the Copperheads provide an internship and learning lab opportunity for undergraduate students who attend Ohio University. Students are given a specific department role and serve as the “Director,” under the direct supervision of a student General Manager. The 2023 staff filled with a General Manager, Assistant General Manager, and 10 student directors began work in January. Over the course of their spring semester at Ohio University, these students planned 9 community outreach events, sold season tickets and sponsorships, and coordinated in-game promotions for all 19 home games.
The Copperheads also bring on multiple students in the summer to work as “Gameday Staffers.” These students also receive internship credit and fill positions for the team such as broadcaster, photographer, statistician, and on-field host.
Most students who intern with the Southern Ohio Copperheads are students from Ohio University’s College of Business, a partner of the Copperheads, and the proud sponsor of opening night on June 6th. A key motto of the Ohio University College of Business is “Experience(s) Required” which can be seen pictured on the side of Copeland Hall. The College of Business’ priority to deliver students with real world experiences remains a huge part of the success of the Copperheads student staff.
Annie Valeant, the Executive Director of the Southern Ohio Copperheads oversees the work of the student staff. She is a former Associate Professor of Sport Management in the College of Business at Ohio University.
Valeant stated, “As a community owned and student operated team, our student staff at the Southern Ohio Copperheads remains a huge part of our success. Without the hard work these students put in since the beginning of their spring semester, we would not be able to offer the best means of affordable entertainment in southeastern Ohio to so many of our well deserving fans.”
Charlie Clegg, the General Manger of the Southern Ohio Copperheads, is an undergraduate Sport Management student at Ohio University. He is entering his third summer working for the team.
Clegg added, “It’s an unbelievable experience being able to watch the work we’ve been doing since January come to fruition. Since we turnover a new staff every year, it can be difficult to for the student directors to picture and really understand what the work they’re doing looks like, since the majority of staff have never seen a Copperheads game. However, when the season opener comes, and Bob Wren Stadium is packed on a hot June day, and kids and families are smiling and having fun, it all clicks.”
The Copperheads look forward to seeing the team and student staff in action on June 6th. There will also be a firework show after the game, available free of charge to all fans. Stay tuned for all Copperhead updates by visiting www.copperheadbaseball.com or following the team on Facebook (@Southern Ohio Copperheads), Instagram (@cheadsbaseball), and Twitter (@Copperheads). Read more about Ohio University’s College of Business here: https://www.ohio.edu/business/.
By Cole Watson
The Southern Ohio Copperheads is a community-owned, student-operated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Established in 2002, the Copperheads is a summer collegiate wooden bat baseball team that competes in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League and plays its home games at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens, OH. The Copperheads organization strives to provide the most affordable means of family-friendly outdoor entertainment in southeast OH. Tickets to Copperheads games are $5 and children under the age of five receive free admission. Staffed by Ohio University students, the Southern Ohio Copperheads also serve as a “learning lab” for student interns looking to work in the sport and entertainment industry.
