Sod Poodles Front Office

Dustin joined the Sod Poodles in July of 2018, after spending four years with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, now known as the Rocky Mountain Vibes.Dustin is originally from Eudora, Kansas and is an avid Jayhawks fan as well as all professional teams from Kansas City.

He enjoys spending time with his wife Alli, golfing, doing trivia, and watching as many movies as he can find the time for! If you see Dustin on the concourse, please be sure to stop him to say hi as he loves to meet new people!

Matt joined the Sod Poodles in July of 2018. Prior to joining the Sod Poodles, Matt worked for Memphis Redbirds AAA affiliate to the St. Louis Cardinals and Jackson Generals AA affiliate to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Tennessee. He previously attended the University of San Francisco where he earned his Master's of Sport Management degree. While he attended USF, he worked all across the industry working for the Oakland Athletics, Oakland Raiders, interning for the Summer Collegiate Baseball team-Fayetteville SwampDogs and the SPHL team Fayeteville FireAntz now called the Fayetteville Marksmen.

His focus on youth sports for the Texas Panhandle is to provide experiences to everyone that plays youth sports that can create memories with the Sod Poodles at HODGETOWN just as he did as a kid with his hometown teams.

In his off time, Matt can be found on the golf course, by the pool, or out hiking at Palo Duro Canyon.

Zak joined the Sod Poodles in January of 2019 after graduating from Orlando's Full Sail University with a Bachelor's degree in Sports Marketing & Media. As a group sales assistant, he coordinates all hospitality and group outings, among other responsibilities. Zak grew up playing hockey in his native Nashville, TN, and is a life-long Predators fan!

Matt joined the Sod Poodles in September of 2018. He is responsible for helping grow the organization through corporate sales, sponsorships and premium business development.

Matt, a McKinney, TX native, spent the last eight years working in local news doing a number of different things, but mainly as a Sports Anchor at NewsChannel10. He made the transition behind the camera and into the advertising and marketing world in May of 2017, which ultimately helped him land his current position with the Sod Poodles.

Matt majored in Mass Communications - Sports Broadcasting while attending West Texas A&M University. In his spare time he likes to spend time at home with his wife Cassie and their two dogs Tyson and Pearl. When it come to sports, Matt roots for all things Rangers, Cowboys, Mavericks and Stars!

Shane Philipps, a product of Temecula, CA, enters his sixth season in professional baseball and second as the Director of Public Relations and Baseball Operations for the Amarillo Sod Poodles.

Shane transitioned full-time to Amarillo in October 2018, coming from Colorado Springs where he spent the 2018 season working as the Public Relations Director for the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Before his time there, he spent the 2017 season in Reno, Nevada working as the Communication Coordinator for the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Reno Aces.

Shane joined the executive office in professional baseball just before the 2015 season in the California League, working as the Public Relations and Digital Media Manager for the High Desert Mavericks, the then Advanced-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In his two seasons with the team, he was responsible for managing the Mavericks' public relations duties as well as all social media platforms and website maintenance. He also served as the game-day media contact, on-field emcee and coordinated ticket packages and group/corporate outings.

Prior to beginning his career in baseball, Shane worked in various roles throughout the Southern California/Orange County region in sales, marketing and public relations.

Shane received his Bachelor of Science from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and completed four associate degrees at Palomar College. He competed in baseball since the age of 4, playing through his four years of college as a left-handed pitcher, spending two years at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA and two years at NCAA Division II Cal Poly Pomona.

Shane enjoys spending time with family and friends, the beach, health/fitness, and has a great love for the sport of baseball. His passion for working in the industry stemmed from his childhood of going to Minor League Baseball baseball games and wanting to give back that fun, family-friendly experience back to this community.

In January 2019, Joe joined the Amarillo Sod Poodles front office staff to create the in-game fan experience for HODGETOWN in it's inaugural season. As the inaugural Manager of Video Production, Joe laid the foundation for HODGETOWN's event production and MiLB.TV broadcasts. During HODGETOWN's construction, Joe oversaw the installation of the ballpark's HODGEVISION video boards and audio infrastructure. Joe previously served on the production team for the Florida Fire Frogs in Kissimmee, Florida.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Joe served as Producer/Beat Reporter for the New York Islanders Radio Network from 2013-2016. In 2016, Joe graduated from Hofstra University with a Dual Degree in Business Management & Legal Studies. In 2018, Joe received his Masters in Business Administration from the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida.

Sam Levitt was named the inaugural "Voice of the Sod Poodles" prior to the 2019 season, arriving to Amarillo after spending two seasons with the Corpus Christi Hooks. Levitt handles all play-by-play duties for the club on radio and TV, while also hosting and providing content to the club's social media platforms.

The New York native spent three seasons working for the independent Gateway Grizzlies before beginning his time in the Texas League. He also calls college basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and other sports for TV/digital platforms around the country.

Levitt graduated from Northwestern University in 2014.

Lynn is the Merchandise Manager and oversees the operations of the Sod Poodles Team Shop. While being a fan of Minor League Baseball for many years, Lynn has also worked in various ball parks across two countries; Medicine Hat Blue Jays (Rookie League), Durham Bulls (Triple A), and The Chattanooga Lookouts (Double A). Lynn has an educational background in Human Services and currently resides in Amarillo with her husband, Tony and two daughters, Grace and Amaleigh. Their adult son resides in Colorado.

Sierra joined the Sod Poodles in March 2018. She is responsible for community outreach initiatives, the Sod Squad team, and enhancing the fan experience.

Prior to this she was with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, starting her internship year in 2016 and continuing to stay within the Elmore Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2017 with a double major in marketing and sports management.

As a San Diego native she misses her trips to Disneyland

Michael Lindal is entering his 16th season with the Elmore Sports Group. He started with the Inland Empire 66ers in 2004-2009 as F&B Operations Manager and two summers with Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 2004-2005. Michael helped open up INTRUST Bank Arena (SAVOR) as Concessions Manager in Wichita, KS 2009-2011 and was with the San Antonio Missions for the last 8 years as the General Manager of Food and Beverage for the Diamond Creations.

Michael is a native of Clearwater, KS Graduated from Cowley College and Wichita State University . When Michael is not at Selling Hot dogs for a living he enjoys fishing, deer hunting, golf, WWE,concerts,karaoke, cooking and heading back home to Kansas.

Nicole joined the Amarillo Sod Poodles organization in January of 2019. She is the Suite Catering and Bar Manager at HODGETOWN. She has 20 years of hospitality management experience from fine dining establishments to casual bar and grill. Prior to college, she worked in her family's indoor soccer arena for many years. She was born and raised in Amarillo, attending both Amarillo High and Amarillo College. Her and her husband are proud to have raised their son in this community.