She brought summers nights at the ball park to a whole new level in Victoria. And now Holly Jones, the general manager of the Victoria HarbourCats, is being acknowledged for her efforts by the West Coast League.
The rookie business manager for is the WCL’s 2013 Executive of the Year for her part in making the HarbourCats’ debut baseball season at Royal Athletic Park a smash hit.
“I’m honoured to be the first woman to win this award,” Jones said in the team's news release. There is only one other female GM in the league, Bre Kerkvliet of the Corvallis Knights.
"I'd like to thank my front office staff, our business partners and the fans for their support in making this such a memorable season.”
"We’re incredibly proud of Jones and grateful to have her on our team. Her efforts have made our inaugural season a success by any measure," said team owner John McLean.
Jones and McLean were behind some innovative ventures to broaden the fan experience at RAP this year. Beer was one of them, with Spinnakers representing the city's diverse craft brewery industry. In game entertainment was another level up from the minor-league standards brought to Victoria by the Seals in 2009 and 10. Mascot race anybody? The team also blew off a lot of fireworks, including the night RAP hosted the league's All-Star Game.
Also recognized this week were HarbourCats players Alex Real, Alex DeGoti, Bryan Conant and Ty Provencher, who were named to the All-WCL Team, Alex Real (University of New Mexico) to the first team, DeGoti (Long Beach State) and Conant (Cal State Fullerton) to the All-WCL Second Team and Provencher (Long Beach State) an All-WCL Honourable Mention.
"These young men put a lot of work into the team this year, on and off the field, and we're pleased to have them recognized by the league for their effort," McLean said.