(New Buffalo, MI) - A general manager has been hired for a new team of major league baseball hopefuls to play in New Buffalo beginning next summer.
The nickname of the team will also be unveiled July 30 at the new high school baseball field where the team will play about 40 home games a season from late May to mid-August. The first name of the team is Dune Coast because of Lake Michigan and the dunes surrounding it in southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana.
Blagica Bottigliero will oversee the business and “operational engine” of the team, said co-owner Brian Williams, a New Buffalo resident and scout for the Texas Rangers.
Williams said one of her major focuses is building a brand that resonates with the region from Benton Harbor and St. Joseph to La Porte, Michigan City and Valparaiso in Indiana.
“She has the experience and know-how to run what is the marketing and sales aspect of our organization,” he said.
Bottigliero lived in New Buffalo for two years and was involved in the community before moving back several years ago to the Detroit area where she grew up. She’s a graduate of Western Michigan University.
“I could not be more pumped to take on this role,” she said.
Williams said Bottigliero was already involved with the team as a consultant under contract doing things like shaping the brand of the team in recent months before hired as general manager primarily for her skills in areas like digital marketing and digital advertising.
“Building a team from the ground up is a rare opportunity. My goal is to make Dune Coast baseball a place people are proud to be part of on the field and off,” she said.
The nickname of the team will be unveiled during an event that begins at 8 p.m. with a youth skills competition featuring things like kids running the bases, a home run derby from behind second base and possibly a radar gun recording the speed of each pitch.
“We definitely wanted to involve the youth,” he said.
After the competition, Williams said the nickname and logo of the team will be unveiled after the newly installed lights are turned on for the first time.
“It should be a really fun time,” he said.
Four finalists were chosen from over 150 nicknames submitted during an online contest. The finalists are Breakers, Quillbacks, Phantoms and Lightning.
The team will be in the Northwoods League, which has produced more than 400 major league players since the early 1990’s. The league consists of college players nationwide looking to improve their chances of being drafted by major league teams by continuing to compete during the summer.
Major league players such as potential hall of famers Max Scherzer and Chris Sale along with current Chicago Cubs star second baseman Nico Hoerner played in the league.
Williams said grandstand seating for about 500 people or more will be added to the park in the fall.
