Minor League Baseball announces 2026 industry award winners
Minor League Baseball announced the 2026 winners of the Organization of the Year Award, Executive of the Year Award, Future Star Award, Driving Diversity Award and the MiLB Together Award. Nominees from each league were selected by their peers and were candidates for the overall awards.
ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR – Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants)
The 2026 season was a long time in the making for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
After decades of negotiating and multiple proposals to build a new ballpark in Richmond, CarMax Park finally became a reality in 2026, serving as a catalyst for business growth, enhanced fan experiences, and a meaningful impact on the community.
The Flying Squirrels capitalized on the opening year by setting a franchise record with 468,961 fans coming through the turnstiles, marking the fifth consecutive year the club has led the Double-A classification in total and average attendance.
The club saw significant increases in ticketing revenues (+329 percent over 2025), partnership (+658 percent over 2025) and retail revenues (+68 percent over 2025), while also expanding their investment in local schools, youth baseball and the greater Richmond community.
In the past year, the Flying Squirrels and Flying Squirrels Charities, in partnership with Gilbane Building Company, invested nearly $100,000 to improve Richmond Public Schools baseball and softball fields. The organization also helped facilitate a partnership between RPS and the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League to launch an elementary baseball program at eight schools, providing uniforms and supporting coaches and umpires.
The Flying Squirrels also do their part to help in the classroom as well. Their Go Nuts For Reading program reaches 68,000 students annually, while the club also contributes to several organizations that support scholarships and various diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the Richmond community.
The Richmond franchise, led by president Brendon Porter, chief operating officer Ben Rothrock, general manager Anthony Oppermann and senior advisor Todd “Parney” Parnell has been a model franchise for years despite their aging facility. With the opening of their new ballpark, the club doubled the size of their front office staff over the last five years, including 24 new full-time hires this year alone as the club prepared to open CarMax Park. More than one third of the Squirrels’ staff have been with the club for at least five years, creating organizational consistency and continuity that will help lead the franchise to even greater heights in their new ballpark.
“This award is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our entire organization,” said Rothrock. “From opening CarMax Park and welcoming a record number of fans to continuing our mission of making meaningful impacts throughout the Richmond community, 2026 has been an incredible year for our organization. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together and grateful to our fans, partners and community. The future is bright and we’re excited to continue building on this momentum.”
Organization of the Year Classification Winners:
Triple-A: Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers)
Double-A: Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants)
High-A: Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays)
Single-A: Ontario Tower Buzzers (Los Angeles Dodgers)
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR – Brian DeWine, President, Asheville Tourists (High-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros)
Asheville Tourists president Brian DeWine has led the franchise since 2010 with a focus on creating lasting memories for families throughout Western North Carolina. His efforts to secure $40 million for renovations to HomeTrust Park helped ensure more memories will be made in Asheville for generations.
The Asheville community responded to the opening of the new ballpark, posting the largest season attendance total (192,472) in the 102 years of professional baseball in Asheville. The total marked an 18 percent increase in attendance over 2025, while the club also saw a significant spike in overall revenues.
Despite a significant interruption from Hurricane Helene, DeWine and the Tourists’ staff successfully transformed historic McCormick Field into HomeTrust Park over two offseasons and throughout the 2025 season, ensuring the ballpark would meet current facility standards while also preserving the historic feel of the old ballpark through vision and innovation.
The community’s excitement over the new ballpark and the exceptional family experience provided by DeWine and his staff helped strengthen community partnerships, create new economic opportunities for the ball club, and delivered a ballpark that will benefit players, fans and the region.
Under DeWine‘s leadership, the Tourists have added more promotional nights to the schedule like dollar hot dog night, added more fireworks shows, brought on another mascot to help entertain the masses and began allowing children younger than five to attend games for free.
Brian is a 2002 graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. He also earned a Masters in Sport Management at Ohio State University in 2003. Brian and his wife, Kali, who serves as the club’s merchandise manager, reside in Asheville, with their daughter Addison, and sons, Parker and Tucker. Their first child, Kathryn Becky, died prior to birth in Nov. 2008 from a rare genetic disease.
“This award has really been five years in the making as we put everything we had into the 2026 season and to get the renovation done and keep baseball in Asheville. It’s exciting,” said DeWine. “Thank you to everyone on our staff, especially my wife, Kali, who helped me put it together, and our general manager Larry Hawkins, who didn’t leave the ballpark last winter as the renovations progressed. There was no power and no heat, and he never left, so special thanks to him as well.”
Executive of the Year Classification Winners:
Triple-A: Dan Mason (Rochester Red Wings)
Double-A: Matt Hamilton (Wichita Wind Surge)
High-A: Brian DeWine (Asheville Tourists)
Single-A: Michelle Skinner (Fayetteville Woodpeckers)
FUTURE STAR AWARD (Top Executive 25 or Younger) – Kallie Harding – Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants)
Since joining the organization in January, Kallie Harding hasn’t stopped selling or teaching others how to sell.
She took over a first-year program called CATalyst that had 11 sales representatives and turned it into a 14-person sales team that has become a revenue generating machine for the River Cats.
This year, her team generated nearly 25 percent of the River Cats’ total revenues and had already generated five times the revenue created by the 2025 CATalyst team. While selling four properties (the Athletics, River Cats, Banana Ball and Cosmic Baseball), Kallie’s ability to train versatile sellers who can produce across properties has set her apart.
In addition to maintaining her own client and partner list, she has developed a strong sales staff, with seven of the initial 11 people in the CATalyst program receiving promotions to the full-time River Cats staff.
Harding rebuilt the CATalyst onboarding process and then created a 12-month curriculum and delivered seven monthly training modules covering meeting fundamentals, B2B basics and personal branding. She has joined dozens of live sales meetings alongside her representatives, coaching in real conversations rather than from a whiteboard. She is now assuming leadership of Lead Off, the club's program pairing veteran sellers with new CATalyst representatives.
She is also passionate about recruiting and building the industry's talent pipeline. She has led recruiting events at Sacramento State University and William Jessup University and represented the organization at TeamWork Online's Bay Area regional event, producing direct hires. Kallie’s efforts led the Athletics to nominate her as their sole representative to the MLB Women in Ticketing Mentorship Program, a meaningful endorsement of her leadership potential within the industry.
“The CATalyst program served as a great intro to Sales and the Sports Industry as a whole,” said CATalyst representative Kyle Coates, who was hired full-time by the River Cats. “Kallie, as a leader, challenged me to grow my skillset, celebrated my wins, and provided true support and guidance for my career advancement.”
“Kallie has lit a fire within our sales team since her arrival and her drive, professionalism and work ethic have raised the bar within our organization,” said River Cats president and chief operating officer Chip Maxson.
“I can’t thank my team enough, as well as the rest of our leadership team in Sacramento, as it really is the best organization to work for,” said Harding. “It’s a very unique situation, we have a great support system and I’m excited to see what’s next.”
MiLB Together Award – Erie SeaWolves (Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers)
For the SeaWolves, community impact isn't about a single night or donation. It’s about making a lasting impact on others and finding new and creative ways to help more and more people each year.
The SeaWolves’ Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, annually donates more than $250,000 in cash and in-kind value to regional causes, providing invaluable support to youth baseball and softball organizations, organizations promoting education, and wellness programs across the greater Erie region.
In 2026, their programs donated over 10,000 tickets to veterans, first responders, and educators, and sent team mascot C. Wolf into 40 schools to reach more than 25,000 students.
Among their new initiatives in 2026 was C.A.R.E. Week (Clean, Assist, Recognize, Educate). The SeaWolves sent staff and players into the community for a week of hands-on service, including a Habitat for Humanity build, veteran home outreach, local school programming, and packing meals at the food bank, with the team logging more than 60 volunteer hours in their final homestand alone.
The SeaWolves also hit the links to raise money with the inaugural SeaWolves Community Fund Golf Classic. In its first year, the event, which will continue and expand in the future, raised nearly $6,000.
In addition to the new events and causes supported this year, the SeaWolves continued their support of the Chace Numata Scholarship, which honors the late former SeaWolves catcher. The Numata Scholarship has awarded more than $11,500 to college-bound students, with his family, former teammates and local media on the selection committee.
The mascots even get involved in Erie, with C. Wolf’s Reading Club and Healthy Challenge, which brings literacy, character-building, nutrition, and physical wellness directly into local schools. In 2026, C. Wolf visited 40 schools and reached more than 25,000 students. The Untold Story of C. Wolf, authored by Kevin Coleman, an autistic college student and SeaWolves Wolfpack member, carries the SeaWolves mantra of Lift Up, Be You and Find Your Talent message into classrooms. The book has sold over 1,000 copies, with proceeds benefiting the Autism Society of Northwest PA, and has given Kevin a platform to build his own communication skills through media appearances and signings.
The SeaWolves also gave the shirts off their backs in 2026, as three jersey auctions resulted in more than $25,000 going to local charities.
The Erie-area youth also receive significant support from the SeaWolves. The club sponsors 15 local youth sports programs, runs ticket fundraisers for area youth organizations, hosts a free MLB Players Alumni Association Legends for Youth Clinic and serves as lead sponsor of the Miracle League of Erie County, providing uniforms, awards picnic, etc.
UPMC Park has served as home to several annual charitable events, including the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and NAMIWalks, a first responders’ charity softball game and a movie night to promote mental health. The club’s Sensory-Friendly Day creates a more accessible ballpark experience through reduced stimulation and a complimentary sensory-break suite for families.
Lastly, the SeaWolves donated more than 10,000 tickets for local veterans, first responders, educators and nonprofit volunteers across multiple game days in 2026.
“It’s a huge honor to win this award as so many teams do so much in their communities,” said SeaWolves Community Affairs Coordinator Kyle Anderson. “Seeing all of the work done by other Minor League teams truly inspires us and makes this award so meaningful to our organization.”
Driving Diversity Forward Award – Knoxville Smokies (Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs)
When Covenant Health Park, the new home of the Smokies, was constructed, Giants Landing was incorporated into the ballpark to commemorate Knoxville’s baseball history and honor the legacy of the Knox Giants, a Negro League team and important part of Knoxville’s African American history.
During the 2025 season, the Smokies partnered with the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to launch the Knox Giants initiative. The partnership brought the history of the Knox Giants to a new generation through baseball, education and community storytelling.
The initiative made its public debut during the Eighth of August Jubilee, an annual East Tennessee celebration of African American history and culture featuring Negro League baseball, cultural programming and the historic Emancipation Day observance. The Smokies unveiled the complete Knox Giants identity, including custom jerseys, creating a powerful connection between Knoxville’s baseball past and its present.
The response from the community made it clear that the Knox Giants should be more than a one-night celebration.
In 2026, the initiative returned bigger and more deeply integrated into the Smokies’ game-day experience, including a dedicated pregame program which brought together community leaders, elected officials, performers, honorees and fans before first pitch. A VIP reception and formal program featured Beck Cultural Exchange Center leadership, Knoxville mayor Indya Kincannon, Knox County commissioner Damon Rawls and other community leaders.
The evening included Heritage Honor recognition, a musical tribute to Ida P. Cox, and the ceremonial launch and unveiling of the Beck Cultural Corridor, expanding the celebration beyond baseball and highlighting the importance of preserving Knoxville’s African American history.
The pregame experience continued as the Austin-East High School band and dancers welcomed fans, performed on the field and brought the celebration's cultural elements directly into the ballpark. Mayor Indya Kincannon addressed fans, mayor Daniel T. Brown participated in a ceremonial first pitch and previous Heritage Honor recipients the Rev. Dr. Harold Middlebrook and the Oak Ridge Bombers (1948 local Negro League team) were recognized on the field.
The Smokies extended the initiative’s impact beyond the ballpark through a game-worn Knox Giants jersey auction benefiting the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, with 100 percent of proceeds donated to the organization. Fans could also purchase Knox Giants merchandise, allowing them to take the history and identity home with them.
The 2026 Knox Giants Night welcomed 6,167 fans to Covenant Health Park, including 1,041 donated tickets to members of the community and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. The game-worn jersey auction generated $1,783 for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, with every dollar going directly to support the organization and its mission. The initiative also generated merchandise sales totaling $6,414, demonstrating the community’s continued interest in the Knox Giants and their story.
Ultimately, Knox Giants Night demonstrates how a professional baseball organization can use its platform to preserve history, celebrate diversity and create meaningful community impact. What began in 2024 as a partnership between the Knoxville Smokies and Beck Cultural Exchange Center has continued to grow into a multigenerational celebration that connects Knoxville’s baseball history with its future.
“The Knox Giants night was a great opportunity to celebrate our history and our diversity in the city of Knoxville,” said Knoxville Smokies general manager Tim Volk. “It was great to create such a meaningful impact in our community, and we couldn’t have done it without the Beck Cultural Center, and especially Reverend Reneé Kesler, so a big thank you to them as well.”