Matthew Drayer named General Manager

Rich Baseball Operations announced today that they have appointed MATTHEW DRAYER as the General Manager of the new NY-Penn League franchise to begin play in Morgantown, WV in the summer of 2015. JOHN POGORZELSKI has been named as assistant GM and sales manager, giving the new club 24 years of experience in minor league baseball.

Drayer, 37, has spent the past 17 seasons in professional baseball, including 11 as the general manager of the Single-A Jamestown Jammers of the NY-Penn League. Pogorzelski, 28, has spent six of his seven seasons in baseball working alongside Drayer in Jamestown.

Drayer and Pogorzelski have set up temporary team offices in The Coliseum (Room 147) on the West Virginia University Campus. They can be reached at (304) 293-7910 or at [email protected].

"You need a great team to succeed in baseball and Matthew and John have done a tremendous job bringing the Rich Baseball's exciting and family-friendly approach to minor league baseball," said Jonathan A. Dandes, President of Rich Baseball Operations. "With their experience and dedication to provide the absolute best-quality ballpark experience, we're confident Matt and John will successfully lead this new franchise."

Drayer is a 2000 graduate of West Virginia University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sports management. A diehard Mountaineers fan, Drayer began his career in the sports industry by serving as the Director of Hockey Operations for the WVU hockey program while in school. He was appointed general manager of the Rich Baseball Operation's single-a franchise in Jamestown prior to the 2004 season. In his role, Drayer will oversee all aspects of the team's front office and will serve as the main contact with the major league affiliate, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pogorzelski is a 2009 graduate of Fredonia State University in New York with a degree in sports management. As sales manager, he will oversee all group sales, game day management and the on-field promotions in 2015.