Storm Chasers add most interns ever

OMAHA, Neb. -- The full roster for the Kansas City Royals reported to Surprise, Aria. today for 2013 Spring Training, and this year's Royals camp will include a number of players who have seen significant time at Werner Park during the ballpark's first two seasons. Even with these players moving on to Kansas City, the Storm Chasers will once again reload their roster in an attempt to win their third consecutive PCL American Conference title in as many years.

Omaha's 45th season will again be filled with future Major League stars still in the development phase of their careers. And like the team on the field, the Omaha Storm Chasers front office is also preparing to develop future stars in the baseball industry. This season the Storm Chasers have hired the largest intern class in franchise history, made up of 12 young professionals from all different regions of the United States.

Joining the sales force in the Ticketing and Group Sales departments for the 2013 season will be ticket operations intern Shane Bovee, group sales intern Brendan Porter and group operations intern Casey Smith. Bovee spent the 2012 season with West Michigan Whitecaps, near his hometown of Ionia, Mich., as the clubhouse operations intern. Massachusetts native Porter has two years of experience in baseball, as a general intern for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2010 and group sales intern with the Portland Sea Dogs in 2012. Smith, from Franklin, Tenn., begins his first season in Minor League Baseball, but has previously interned with Vanderbilt University and the Kansas City Chiefs.

A brand new Marketing Department will add three fresh faces in marketing and promotions intern Julia Connor, creative services intern Mark Kuhlmann and media relations intern Andrew Mitchell. Connor from Ellington, Conn., will assist with promotions, as well as client services. She worked as a stadium operations intern for the Lynchburg Hillcats during the 2012 season. Kuhlmann joins the team out of Aurora, Ill., and gained professional sports design experience in 2012 with the Joliet Slammers baseball club of the independent Frontier League. Mitchell from Snohomish, Wash., will be the primary contact for all media covering Storm Chasers baseball for the upcoming season. He spent the 2011 season as the media relations intern for the Everett AquaSox and in 2012 was the public relations assistant for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Rounding out the Storm Chasers' 2013 intern class are finance intern Meredith Daniels from Monticello, Ark., stadium operations interns Chris Kelsey, Matt Owen and Dan Busch, and groundskeeping intern Scott Rowedder. Kelsey is the lone Omaha native, and interned last season for the Storm Chasers in the Fun Bunch college program. Matt Owen from West Liberty, Iowa, spent the past two seasons with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Dan Busch from Napoleon, Ohio, worked with the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2012. Finally, Scott Rowedder joins the team from Denison, Iowa, bringing his groundskeeping experience with the Columbus Crew in 2012.

While these interns have already hit the ground running, their professional baseball debut in Omaha is the 2013 home opener at Werner Park on Fri, April 12, at 7:05 p.m. featuring American Family Insurance Friday Night Fireworks.