Potomac Nationals Announce Front Office Promotions

Woodbridge, VA-- Potomac Nationals President/COO Lani Silber Weiss has announced Josh Olerud has been promoted from Vice President/General Manager to Executive Vice President/General Manager of the club.

In a corresponding move, P-Nats Assistant General Manager, Zach Prehn has been elevated to the title of General Manager of Operations.   

The duel promotions will take effect immediately, Silber Weiss confirmed.

In Olerud's prominent role, the Minor League Baseball veteran will administer all negotiations with prospective new ballpark naming rights partners for the future stadium home of the Potomac Nationals, and supervise discussions with additional new stadium founding partnership clients while continuing to oversee quality control of P-Nats' corporate sales endeavors, new business development, strategic partnerships, ticketing, marketing, promotions, community relations, public relations, concessions, stadium operations, and the overall fan ambience at Pfitzner Stadium.

"It is a tremendous honor to receive this promotion and I can't thank the Silber family enough for the confidence they have put in me and our invaluable staff," said Olerud.

"Zach's promotion is so well deserved for his professionalism, dedication, and creative efforts over the past three years. We see him as an integral piece of our organizational success and future growth."

Olerud will continue to serve as a liaison to Potomac's Major League affiliate, the Washington Nationals, in an effort to maintain the outstanding relationship between the Minor League affiliate and Washington.   

Olerud, was appointed to Vice President status in July of 2012 after joining the Potomac Nationals as General Manager in 2011, and last year completed his 13th season in professional baseball.

Originally hailing from Bloomington, MN, he graduated with a degree in Sports Management with an emphasis in Marketing at Minnesota State University at Mankato.

Olerud claimed the 2013 Calvin Falwell Executive of the Year Award for his accomplishments in leading the charge to break Potomac Baseball's single-season franchise attendance record while presenting a star-studded promotional lineup that season which included a record number of fireworks shows.

Olerud oversaw a 2014 Potomac Nationals season that witnessed the team once again shatter the single-season attendance record at Pfitzner Stadium (243,559 fans).

Olerud led a front office team that was awarded for their creativity with a Minor League Baseball June Promotion of the Month Award for their comprehensive promotional efforts on "Beard-A-Palooza Weekend" which featured a Jayson Werth "BobbleBeard" Giveaway and a multi-faceted "Beard Olympics" events schedule.

During the touchstone 2014 season, the P-Nate claimed their fifth Mills Cup Championship in club history after defeating the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Texas Rangers) in the best-of-five title series.

Under the direction of Olerud, the Potomac Nationals drew a record total of partnership support and ticket revenue for the franchise in 2014 while maintaining the P-Nats' tradition of donating over $100,000 to worthy community recipients across all of the club's fundraising branches.

On Olerud's commendation, Potomac Nationals Chairman/CEO, Art Silber said, "We've been fortunate to have Josh Olerud and his ability to motivate those around him to levels of success that are truly extraordinary. The last few years with Josh at the helm have been the best in our 25 years of ownership of the ballclub."

Zach Prehn has served as Potomac's Assistant GM since February of 2012, and his responsibilities have included managing ticket operations, coordinating corporate sales initiatives, instituting promotional platforms, directing press box operations, organizing and executing the P-Nats' gameday presentation, and serving as point person for various logistical baseball operational tasks.

The new title for Prehn will bring with it expanded responsibilities in the day-to-day operation of the Potomac Nationals franchise as Olerud's managing complement will take on supplementary duties in the realm of corporate client relations, commercial business strategy, budgeting, marketing, promotions, gameday execution, concession management, stadium procedure, and fan relations.

"I am thrilled and honored the Silber family has offered me this promotion. This is a quality organization that has been growing for the past five years, and I look forward to keeping that trend upward in unison with the contributions of Josh Olerud and our terrific front office," said Prehn.

"I'm looking forward to my expanded role with the Potomac Nationals and relish in the opportunity to work closely with our staff in delivering the number one family-friendly atmosphere in Northern Virginia."

Prehn started working in pro baseball at the age of 15. His first job was as a soda vendor for his hometown professional team. The versatile O'Fallon, MO native has worked in all aspects of Minor League Baseball including front office management, box office ticket operations, corporate sales, food and beverage, gameday operations, and groundskeeping.

Regarding Prehn's promotion, Silber said, "Zach is one of those people who just gets the job done, and he does it better than anyone else. His leadership and work ethic sets a standard for everyone and we're privileged to have him as part of our team."

The Potomac Nationals have also made official the hiring of Ricky Goykin to serve as the team's Community Relations Director after his post as an Executive Front Office Assistant with the P-Nats during the 2014 season.

Goykin, a Smithtown, NY native, has eight years of tenure in professional baseball.

Goykin's primary role with the P-Nats is to foster new community relationships while managing existing partnerships in the Northern Virginia region and beyond.    

The Potomac Nationals of the Carolina League play at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, and are the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Potomac Nationals have claimed five Carolina League Championship titles (1982, 1989, 2008, 2010, and 2014) and nine CL Northern Division Championships. The P-Nats are the defending Carolina League Champions after winning the 2014 Mills Cup Championship Series. Potomac Nationals 2015 season tickets and mini plans are now on sale. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2015 season and beyond are available. Corporate outing reservations for the 2015 season to watch the future stars of the Washington Nationals at The Pfitz may be placed now as the P-Nats offer discounted group rates and all-inclusive picnics. Visit the P-Nats online at www.potomacnationals.com or call the Potomac Nationals Ticket Office at 703-590-2311 for more information!

-- Potomac Nationals --