Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon
Triple-A Affiliate
The Official Site of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Jumbo Shrimp announce staff hirings and promotions

Club strengthens front office in advance of 2020 season
November 4, 2019

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have promoted a trio of front office staff and announced the hiring of four new team members in preparation for the 2020 season, the club announced Monday.

 

Peter Ercey has been named the Jumbo Shrimp's assistant director of ticket operations after previously serving as the club's box office manager. James Abbatinozzi has also been promoted from account executive to assistant director of ticket sales and Matt Morabito has been elevated to an account executive from ticket sales associate. The club is also welcoming Stephen Sawayda, Garret True and Devin Walker as account executives, respectively, with Taylor Lee filling the role of assistant food and beverage manager.

 

Ercey, who previously served as the Jumbo Shrimp's box office manager, oversees the club's box office operations. He also sells ticket packages and group outings. A Coconut Creek, Fla., native, Ercey earned his degree in sport management from the University of North Florida. Prior to joining the Jacksonville staff in 2016, he spent time with the Jacksonville Sharks (Arena Football) and Inland Empire 66ers (High-A, Los Angeles Angels).

 

A native of St. Augustine, Fla., Abbatinozzi earned a promotion from his previous role of account executive. He leads the club's ticket sales department and also sells season tickets, mini plans, group outings, suite leases and nightly suite rentals. Abbatinozzi played two years of baseball at both Tallahassee Community College and the University of North Florida. He worked on Jacksonville's grounds crew before joining the Jumbo Shrimp front office staff.

 

Morabito was initially hired as a ticket sales associate in March 2019. He now moves into a full-time role as an account executive, selling season tickets, mini plans, group outings, suite leases and nightly suite rentals. Morabito graduated from the University of North Florida with Magna Cum Laude honors in August 2019. At St. Augustine High School, he was a First Team All-State baseball player and Second Team All-State football player. He currently attends the Church of Eleven 22 in Mandarin and has also completed recent volunteer work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Special Olympics in Duval County, Manny Hernandez Jr. Scholarship Fund and Donna Fund.

 

As assistant food and beverage manager, Lee will help with the Jumbo Shrimp's food and beverage operations. She played softball at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she graduated Cum Laude and served one season as a team captain. Prior to joining the Jacksonville staff, Lee spent one season apiece with both the Daytona Tortugas (High-A, Cincinnati Reds) and Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A, Kansas City Royals).

 

A 2017 alumnus of Florida State University, Sawayda boasts previous experience with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a guest and member relations game day staff member and Tampa Bay Rays as a ticket sales and service intern. His most recent role came with IMG Learfield, where he served as a ticket sales representative. Sawayda is a native of Clearwater, Fla.

 

True spent five years in the Jacksonville community prior to joining the Jumbo Shrimp, working in television as an account executive. A native of Macon, Ga., he attended Butte College (Oroville, Calif.) and Chico State University (Chico, Calif.), earning his degree in social sciences and communication.

 

A native of Portsmouth, Va., Walker was a four-year member of the baseball team at Virginia State University. A sports management major, Walker also worked on the operations crew with Spectrum at the school's multi-purpose center and was also a member of the Sports Management Club. He was recognized as part of the FIELD Program of Minor League Baseball Diversity and Inclusion in 2019.

 

Season tickets, mini plans, and group outings for the 2020 season are on sale now. Visit www.jaxshrimp.com or call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 for more information.

 

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League's Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by General Manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.