ValleyCats announce new hires and internal promotion

TROY, NY- The Tri-City ValleyCats announced today, the full time hirings of Dan LaLonde, Anthony Pettograsso and Ben Whitehead. LaLonde will serve as Accountant, Pettograsso as Promotions Manager, and Whitehead as Account Executive. The ValleyCats have also promoted Christopher Dawson to Senior Account Executive.

LaLonde joins the ValleyCats as their full-time Accountant, after working as a box office intern for the team this past summer. LaLonde earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Communications from SUNY Plattsburgh, and went on to earn his Master's Degree in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University in Boston.

Pettograsso, the public address announcer for the ValleyCats since 2004, will now lead the promotions team and assist with the planning and execution of entertainment at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. Prior to joining the ValleyCats on a full-time basis, he spent 12 years working in college athletics as Assistant Director of Athletic Programs at Hudson Valley Community College and Assistant Facilities & Game Operations Director for the University at Albany.

Whitehead, the teams' newest Account Executive, comes to the ValleyCats from Oklahoma, where he spent time in various fields including customer service and journalism. He earned a Sports Management degree from Clemson University, and most recently served as an intern with ValleyCats New York-Penn League rival, the Lowell Spinners.

Dawson, a six-year veteran of the ValleyCats sales team, has been promoted to Senior Account Executive. He spent the last four years as Account Executive after joining the ValleyCats in 2008 as a sales intern. A native of Clifton Park, NY, Dawson earned a Sports Management degree from Endicott College in Beverly, MA.

The Tri-City ValleyCats now have 13 full-time employees working to prepare for the teams' 2014 season. The ValleyCats are on the heels of a 2013 campaign in which they captured the New York-Penn League Championship title for the second time in four seasons. The 'Cats begin the 2014 season at home on June 13.