Holding All the Aces
with Drew Pomeroy
By O. Michele Giacomini
July 12, 2016~It’s summer time and with that comes both an increase in travel and the boys of summer playing our favorite national pastime: baseball. When you grow up loving the sport of baseball, the dream of working in that sports field can be very appealing. Drew Pomeroy has been able to live out that dream. He started playing baseball at a very young age and his love for the sport, even back then, was more than apparent. Now he’s all grown up and building a career involving sports management.
What’s even better, Drew works for the Reno Aces. Reno is one of Nevada’s best kept little secrets. Many people only think of Reno as the “Biggest Little City in the World,” and immediately glitzy lights and casinos come to mind. But what they may not know is that Reno is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, home of the phenomenal University of Nevada Wolfpack, and of course, the place where all go to enjoy great Triple A baseball with the Reno Aces.
This week Drew is our guest and has much to share about his experience in Reno and why you should plan a visit soon!
OMG: Thanks for joining us this week Drew! So, tell us what brought you to the Reno Aces?
DP: “Three years ago I decided that I wanted to get into graduate school for a Sports MBA. So, I got in touch with someone in that program who happened to be a Nevada Alumni who had worked for the Aces. I met up with him to get advice on what I should be doing to achieve my goal, and he was able to get me a job with the Aces working security.
With the 2015 season coming up, I was offered a position as the Dakstats Software Operator in the Control Room. (This is) where I plugged in the play-by-play for every home game directly connected to the scoreboard and game broadcast.”
Reno Aces Stadium
OMG: That sounds like a lucky break and good start, but I know that’s not what you do for them now, right?
DP: “Moving into 2016, I applied for a Marketing Internship with the Aces and got the position. For the next two months I was in this role until I reached out to our Director of Marketing about a new role. (Since) I was going to graduate from the University of Nevada in the next couple weeks, and had the ability to work full-time, I was offered the newly created role of our Baseball Operations Coordinator.
Now I am the primary team travel liaison and responsible for the building and dissemination of homestand travel itineraries as well as a contributor to our baseball and soccer blog.” (A homestand itinerary is all of the travel and lodging plans for both the Aces and the visiting team(s). Including flight/bus departures and arrivals, as well as equipment shipping options).
This role was created because we have a newly announced soccer franchise playing at our field starting in March of 2017 and taking me on for this position frees up more time for our Communications Manager to focus on both baseball and soccer while I take care of travel.”
OMG: WOW!!! I didn’t know there was going to be a Reno soccer team too! That’s even more exciting since soccer is growing in popularity here in the States. I know you love sports more than just about anything, (except your family, of course!), so do you remember your first experience with baseball or even soccer, as a child?
DP: “I’ve been playing baseball since I could walk so I couldn’t really pinpoint my first experience with baseball as a child. I do remember the post-tournament pizza parties during farm-ball and putting down as much pizza as we could.”
OMG: *laughing hard* Leave it to you to only remember the pizza!
DP: “For soccer I distinctly remember the moms cheering way too hard for us kids who really had no idea what we were doing on the field as we all just chased a ball around.” (He laughs).
Drew with mom, Nancy Pomeroy (who pretty much never missed a chance to cheer for her son and his teams)
OMG: Hey Drew, cut us Soccer Moms some slack, we have to cheer hard just to keep ourselves awake sometimes!!! *chuckling* I think we used to call it “Bunch Ball” when you kids would move around the field in one big herd, just chasing the ball, like you said, with no strategy except to not fall down...too much. I think all the kids lived for the break times because they all wanted snacks!
Speaking of kids, what can families expect from a day at the Reno Aces ballpark?
DP: “Families can expect some good baseball and an awesome game-day atmosphere. Our team that works in the control room provides the sound bites and on board videos/visuals during the game that aim to poke fun at the opposing team as much possible and creates a fun, family friendly game-day experience.
Also, our promo crew does a great job with our on-field contests. The whole ballpark is completely revamped this year with improved concessions and local artwork from Reno and Tahoe artists displayed at our home plate gate entrance as well as the hallway leading to our suites.”
The Reno Aces Stadium after Sunset
OMG: I bet you have all sorts of people coming to the games, so how do you differentiate the experience that spans from families, to college kids, to couples, to those vacationing from out-of-town? Also, how does the new soccer team play into this mix?
DP: “Families have the opportunity for both baseball and soccer to get their kids or youth teams involved in the pre-game events such as running out with the team, national anthem performances, and bench warmers. College kids are abundant on Thursday nights for our Thirsty Thursday promotion. And those traveling from out-of-town that want to see a top-notch ballpark and some quality baseball have found the right spot.
We had two professional soccer games this year featuring Sacramento Republic FC vs. Liverpool FCU-21’s, and Sacramento Republic FC vs. Real Monarchs SLC. The turnout and atmosphere was great. Reno 1868 FC already has its own supporters club and we saw Sacramento’s supporters club make the trek to Greater Nevada Field to cheer on their team and chant the entire game. It was a very new experience, but an awesome one.”
Drew with buddies Gareth, Spencer, Rex, (himself), Tucker and Danny
OMG: I know you’ve also shared with me that the Aces are super involved with the community and make appearances at the local grade schools and fundraisers around town. They really are a top-notch organization!
Okay Drew, I’m going to put you on the spot: Who are your top 5 players on the team?
Drew with former Giants player, Tim Lincecum (who now plays for the Angels)
DP: “I’m not sure I could pick out my top five players from the Aces but two that are definitely a fan-favorite here in Reno are Braden Shipley and Peter O’Brien. Shipley is a starting pitcher and Nevada Alumni, so he gets a good home-crowd turnout. O’Brien recently got called up to the Diamondbacks and has been playing every day. It is awesome to see one of our own guys get the call and watch them play in the MLB.”
OMG: That is exciting! So, what do you have coming up next?
DP: “Next, I plan on applying to graduate school so hopefully I will be spending the next year furthering my education and creating more connections within the sports industry. Not sure exactly what my future will hold, but I am excited to see where I end up.”
OMG: Well, I’m sure your parents hope it leads you back close to home! No matter what, I know you will be a hit wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.
So, the Reno Aces are in Charlotte, NC this week, but what’s coming up next?
DP: “The Aces will play a home game the 14th. Every Thursday is our Thirsty Thursday deal, Friday’s we have fireworks post-game as well as our “bad songs for a good cause” where fans pick awful walk up songs for every batter. This benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northern Nevada by purchasing these bad songs. Saturday is also a fireworks night, and Sunday is a Reno Aces Hat Giveaway.”
OMG: Never a dull moment!!! Thanks so much for joining us Drew. I know a lot of our readers are going to want to get more information on events at the ballpark to attend, so they can click here:
And to check out the latest on both the ACES and RENO 1868FC go here:
If you have any questions for Drew, please leave them in the comments below!
Thanks everybody for visiting. Join me next week when Chef Joe Thompson from Crisp Catering joins us. I’m sure he’ll definitely have a cooking tip or two to share that will make our dishes extra scrumptious!
