GREAT LAKES LOONS 2025 Season starts
March 29, 2025
fernandez ‘pumped’ to manage loons again
BY JON BECKER
The return of brighter days, warming temperatures and the eternal optimism that spring brings can only mean one thing: it’s almost time for baseball season.
The Great Lakes Loons have been in Arizona for spring training and will soon head to Midland as they prepare for their 2025 campaign.
The Loons, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A affiliate, open their season at Dow Diamond, hosting the Lake County Captain in a three-game weekend series, April 4-6.
The Loons will again be led by Jair Fernandez, who returns for his second straight season as the Great Lakes manager.
Fernandez also spent two seasons, 2017 and 2018, as the Loons hitting coach. Before embarking on a coaching and managerial career, the Colombian-born catcher spent 11 years playing minor league baseball. He began his playing career in 2007 with the Seattle Mariners organization and went on to play in the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros systems before finishing his playing career with the Chicago Cubs organization.
Spring training is a special time for a guy who has devoted so much of his
life to the game of baseball. But Fernandez, 38, doesn’t get the itch to grab a bat or crouch down behind home plate in his old catcher’s stance. He’s firmly committed to managing and getting the very best out of each and every Dodgers prospect he’s been working with in Arizona for the past couple of months.
“Those days are long gone,” he said of any urge to play ball again. “I’m focused on managing and helping young players develop. This is an exciting time of year. We’ve got a lot of talent in our system and spring training has been an opportunity for the players to show us what they can do.”
Great Lakes is tentatively scheduled to announce its roster on Friday, March 28.
“There are a lot of moving parts and roster decisions by the front office that have to be made,” Fernandez said on March 17. “There’s still a lot up in the air. It’s our job as a coaching staff to be prepared for the players we have.”
The Loons finished 69-61 last season. It marked the club’s fifth consecutive winning season, but they failed to make the playoffs.
“I’m excited and pumped,” Fernandez said of returning to Midland for his second season at the helm of the Loons. “We were in the hunt last year but fell a little bit short.
Baseball is unpredictable. Anything can happen.”
Fernandez has a whole new coaching staff this season. New pitching coach Sean Coyne held the same position the past two years with the Dodgers’ Low-A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, who last year had 1,282 strikeouts, the third-most in the California League despite having the fewest innings pitched.
Eduardo Dominguez joins Coyne as a pitching coach. Over the last two seasons, Dominguez was one of four pitching coaches for the Dodgers club in the Dominican Summer League.
New hitting coach Kevin LaChance was the hitting coach for the 2024 Arizona Complex League Champions, the ACL Dodgers. New bench coach Joe Thon was the manager of the Houston Astros’ Double-A affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks, for two seasons.
Rounding out the staff are performance coach, Gage Crosgrove, affiliate development associate Alec Schulte, development coach Braelin Hence, athletic trainer Akinori Maeda and bullpen catcher Ezra Lacina.
“Everybody that was with me last year got promoted,” Fernandez said. “Our (former) pitching coach is
Jair Fernandez, the Great Lakes Loons’ hitting coach at the time, talks with a player at batting practice at Camelback Ranch during spring training in 2017 in Glendale, Ariz. (Caitlin O’Hara for the Daily News)
following in dad’s footsteps
jordan gonder takes over as loons’ pa announcer
BY FRED KELLY SportSwriter
When Jordan Gonder takes over as the Great Lakes Loons’ public address announcer next week, he will have some big shoes to fill. More accurately, he will have a big voice to fill.
Gonder is one of three sons of the late Gerald Gonder, known professionally as Jerry O’Donnell, who served as the Loons’ PA announcer for their first 15 seasons through 2022. Gerald Gonder died last April after battling cancer.
Jordan Gonder, who has filled in on the mic at Dow Diamond several times in the past, will begin his first year as the team’s full-time PA man when Great Lakes kicks
off its season on Friday, April 4 against the Lake County Captains.
“Hopefully, it’ll be me (on the mic) for a long time into the future,”
Gonder said, adding that he feels a lot of nervous energy as the season approaches. “I get the jitters before every game; I’m like my dad in that way. You want to put on a good show.
“I have a supportive and creative crew to work with, and we’re looking to do great things,” he added. “I always get pre-game jitters, and when I’m announcing the starting lineup, the adrenaline really starts rushing.”
Gonder, 26, was born in Saginaw and moved with his family to the Flushing area as a child before
eventually moving to Midland when he was in first grade after his father began working for WNEM TV-5.
He graduated from Midland High in 2017, then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in family studies at Central Michigan University. Currently, he is in his second year of law school at Wayne State University, and he hopes to someday start his own law practice in Midland.
“I might end up working in criminal law, family law, and property law – a little bit of everything, as long as it leads me back to Midland,” he noted.
Gonder said he was “absolutely” inspired to become a PA announcer after watching and listening to his father in action.
Ironically, his father probably never would’ve stepped foot inside Dow Diamond had he not raised a sports-crazy son.
“It’s funny, my dad would tell me he had no interest in sports until he had to start lugging me to all my games and practices when I was a kid,” said Gonder, who played baseball, football, and basketball and dabbled in soccer, lacrosse, and tennis as a teen.
Once Gonder began accompanying his father to Loons’ games during their inaugural season of 2007, he immediately became a fan of the ballpark, the team, and the job.
“I started going to games with him in year one, and I’d sit in the production room with him
and watch him work, and I’d gather the stat sheets they’d put out and dive deeper into the game, analyzing it and trying to understand it better,” Gonder recalled.
“I liked watching the players grow up. These are guys who come in as young as 16, while others are 22 or 23 years old, just coming out of college, and you get to see them grow up before your eyes,” he added. “That opened the door to me to fall in love with baseball even more.”
Gonder said that one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of being a PA announcer is creating a fun environment for the fans.
“In addition to my love for baseball, it’s fun to work with our crew and
see the work they put in behind the scenes day in and day out, coming up with a plan that we put into action in front of thousands of people every night,” he said.
“I love that we have this type of entertainment in Midland. It’s unique, and I think it sets us apart from other areas in Michigan and even throughout the country,” he added. “To see people from all over the state come to Dow Diamond, and to put on a show for them, is so much fun.”
Gonder added that it is also important to create an enjoyable atmosphere for the players themselves.
“You’re also putting on a show for the players. You
Jordan Gonder, right, and his father, Gerald Gonder - known publicly as Jerry O’Donnell - hold the Midwest League championship trophy that the Great Lakes Loons won at Dow Diamond in September 2016. (Courtesy of Jordan Gonder)
Jordan Gonder is about to start his first full season as the Great Lakes Loons’ public address announcer, the role that his late father, Gerald Gonder - who was known publicly as Jerry O’Donnell - held for the team’s first 15 seasons.
(Courtesy of Jordan Gonder)
Jordan Gonder (foreground) helps in the broadcast booth at Dow Diamond in 2012 while his father, Gerald Gonder - known publicly as Jerry O’Donnellis shown in the background at the microphone while serving as the Great Lakes Loons’ public address announcer. (Courtesy of Jordan Gonder)
stockford a local face with loons at the mitt
meridian graduate became sales director a year ago
BY DAN CHALK Managing editor
Sarah Stockford enjoyed going to Great Lakes Loons games as a fan while in high school and college. Now, she’s director of sales at 100.9 The Mitt, the radio station that carries all the Loons games and is based on the top floor of Dow Diamond.
“I always loved coming here with my friends in the summers. That was
the big thing to do,” Stockford said in reference to Loons games at Dow Diamond. “So it’s a full circle now that I work here.”
Stockford is originally from South Lyon in metro Detroit, but moved to the Sanford area at the age of 16 and graduated in 2015 from Meridian High School, where she competed in volleyball, basketball, and track and field.
She then enrolled at Central Michigan University and earned a sports management degree while serving as a manager for the CMU women’s basketball team and playing intramural sports.
Stockford’s initial career path took her to a couple of other states. First, she worked for the Cleveland Browns football team for three years.
Sarah Stockford
from food to fireworks, loons games keep fans entertained
BY FRED KELLY SportSwriter
Minor League Baseball teams have long known that the quickest way to a fan’s heart is through his or her stomach. The Great Lakes Loons are embracing that fact this season with a promotional schedule of culinary delights at Dow Diamond.
Among those promotions is “Foodie Friday,” during which fans can purchase hot
dogs for $2, as well as chips, ice cream sandwiches, and a fountain pop for $1 each. For those with a more diverse palate, the team’s food and beverage team will also offer gourmet choices such as poutine, barbecue fried chicken cinnamon roll sandwiches, walking tacos, and “sausage-of-the-week” selections.
In addition, the Chef’s Table buffet, offering unique culinary experiences at Dow Diamond, will also
return on Fridays and will be available for a maximum of 60 guests at $25 per person.
Loons’ Director of Marketing, Entertainment, and Storytelling Matt DeVries said he expects this promotion to be a fan favorite.
“I think the Foodie Fridays will be really cool, with the gourmet creations that our food and beverage team have put together,” DeVries noted. “ … When people come to a minor league
shows at dow diamond
ballpark, food is always something that they look forward to.”
As usual, the Loons will be offering daily promotions at home games throughout the week, along with several bigger promotions.
The Great Lakes Loons will be o ering postgame fireworks shows 11 times this season, the first on May 17 and the final show on Aug. 30.
Tuesday home games will double as “Hometown Heroes” days, during which active-duty military members, veterans, first responders, and health care workers will receive a free hot dog meal, while some of those individuals will also be publicly honored during the game.
in the game in the lawn areas, while White Claw hard seltzer drinks will be 50 percent off.
Wednesday home games will be “Paws and Claws” nights, during which fans are encouraged to bring along their dogs and take
During the “Thirsty Thursday” promotion, all beer will be 50 percent off
devries excited to be back with loons
hired as director of marketing, entertainment and storytelling
BY DAN CHALK Managing editor
Matt DeVries is excited to be back with the Great Lakes Loons.
After about five years away from the organization where he launched his career while still a college student at Central Michigan University, DeVries was hired by the Loons on March 11 as director of marketing, entertainment & storytelling.
“It feels great,” he said. “I spent seven awesome years with the Loons from 2013 to 2020. Then, the pandemic kind of threw a wrench into professional sports for the better part of a year.”
DeVries, known for his outgoing and enthusiastic personality, was among employees who were let go by the Loons organization due to the entire 2020 baseball season being canceled because of the COVID pandemic.
He then worked for the Midland Business Alliance from 2020 to 2022, eventually as marketing director. From there, DeVries was hired as vice president of marketing at Jolt Credit Union until late 2024.
“I learned a lot at both those stops,” he said. “I have been able to work with some great people.”
But when this opportunity opened up with the Loons, DeVries was happy to apply.
“There’s always something special about the
three elements (of marketing, entertainment and storytellling),” he said. “It starts with the awesome team we have in those departments already. “I’m really excited to work with all of them. They have a ton of unique skills. Part of my job is to make sure we’re working together as a team and having fun doing it.
“We do a lot of pre-planning. It’s really about creating peak moments for our fans and generating interest and buzz.”
DeVries feels the Loons have “raised the bar” in terms of fan experience starting with 2022, the first full baseball season after the pandemic.
“They have continued to grow and try new things,” he said, referring to the Great Lakes Pontooners nights and Los Pepinillos Picantes del Norte nights and the award-winning True Crime Night last year.
Loons and what this organization does for the community,” he said. “It was interesting to leave for a few years and be able to learn and grow. But it just makes it that much more rewarding when you’re able to come back and be part of the Loons team again.
“I’m grateful they were able to have me back. It’s awesome to be back,” DeVries added.
DeVries originally joined the Loons in 2013 as an
intern while finishing his degree at Central Michigan University in journalism and public relations, with a minor in sports studies. He graduated from CMU in December of that year.
From there, DeVries became a producer for the radio station that airs the Loons games and a lot of other sports programming, now known as 100.9 The Mitt. Later, he became program director at the station, then communications manager for the Loons in 2015, and
assistant general manager of marketing and communications from 2017-19.
The Loons, who play their home games at Dow Diamond at the east end of Main Street in Midland, will open their 18th season on Friday, April 4 with a home game against the Lake County Captains. The 132-game season goes through Sunday, Sept. 7.
Dow Diamond is owned and operated by the nonprofit Michigan Baseball Foundation, which
distributes yearly grants to organizations throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region.
In his new role, DeVries said he will be working with Director of Community Outreach and Sponsor Activation Cameron Bloch, Marketing Manager Elizabeth Getzinger, Video Production Manager Jimmy Metiva, Promotions Manager Jacalyn Hagar and Content Creator Carlos Garcia.
“A lot goes into those
“I think (fans) will really enjoy what we have planned for 2025,” DeVries said.
He said on April 4, festivities will begin in the late afternoon and gates will open at 5 p.m. for the Loons’ opening day celebration.
Email Managing Editor Dan Chalk at chalk@ mdn.net with story ideas about education, business, sports, the military, and interesting people and events in the Midland area.
After about five years away from the organization where he launched his career while still a college student, Matt DeVries was hired by the Great Lakes Loons on March 11 as director of marketing, entertainment & storytelling.
(Carlos Garcia / Great Lakes Loons)
driven by youth
100.9 the mitt has history of empowering young people
BY DAN CHALK Managing editor
General Manager Brad Tunney is the oldest employee at Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt, at the ripe old age of 30.
The radio station that’s based at Dow Diamond and carries all the Great Lakes Loons games has consistently brought in young people and set them up for success. (The Loons and The Mitt are both owned by MBF Enterprises, part of the nonprofit Michigan Baseball Foundation.)
“All four of us now (at the radio station) are 30 or under, which is super atypical in most organizations, but especially in radio and most legacy media groups - newspaper, radio and TV stations,” said Tunney, who started working at the radio station in 2014 when he was a 19-year-old student at Central Michigan University.
“(Having) four folks who are 30 or under is something that we hang our hat on and are proud of.”
Tunney, who’s also been the lead radio voice of the Loons since 2019, is joined by Director of Sales Sarah Stockford, 28; Broadcast and Content Coordinator and Loons co-play-by-play voice John Vicari, 24; and Loons’ On-field Host and radio host of “The Payoff” Ben Bosscher, who turns 23 next week.
“I think it’s really unique in terrestrial radio to have such a young staff. We can all grow together here,” Stockford said.
“It’s interesting to have us all be under 30 and all be hard workers and be an advocate for radio in general.”
A HISTORY OF SETTING YOUNG PEOPLE UP FOR SUCCESS
The Mitt has a history of training and empowering
young people since the station began.
Brad Golder was hired in his 20s as the Loons’ first lead play-by-play voice in 2007 and was succeeded by Chris Vosters at a similar age in 2015 and then by Tunney in 2019.
“Going from unpaid intern to paid intern to part-time employee to full-time employee at a coordinator level to a manager to a director, and now to a general manager, the evolution and the development has afforded (me) a lot of autonomy and growth over that time,” Tunney observed.
“I kind of attribute everything in my professional life to this place,” he said.
Tunney recalls being welcomed by, among others, Golder and the late Jerry O’Donnell, who was the Loons’ public address announcer and general
From left, John Vicari, Ben Bosscher and Brad Tunney are the radio personalities for Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. (Dan Chalk/Midland Daily News)
in Triple-A now. You want people around you to succeed. The Loons’ front office is great. I loved it there last year as manager. They do a great job communicating and make us feel like we belong. They make the job easier for us.
“We have a day off today (March 17), so I’m recharging the batteries for our last two weeks of spring ball,” Fernandez added. “We can’t wait to get back up (to Dow Diamond) to start the season.”
storied franchise has a standard of excellence, and you’d better believe the coaches and players are aware of it when they put on a Dodgers uniform.
everyone needs to bring their top mental game to the ballpark in order to succeed.
stay on the field.”
fernandez stockford fans
There’s always room to grow in the sport of baseball. And that motivation may be more important if you’re a prospect in the World Series champion Dodgers’ farm system–which, like the MLB club, is loaded with talent. The
“I want every one of us, myself included, to improve by one percent each and every day,” Fernandez said. “That’s the goal and that’s what being a ballplayer is about - putting in the work to be the best you can be. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes to prepare. There are a lot of boxes that need to be checked. You don’t just grab a bat and go.”
Baseball metrics are a critical part of today’s game. There is so much that is dissected and analyzed, from the front office to the playing field, that
get to know them while they’re here and watch them grow, and you want to help them have fun in the process,” he said. “ … For a lot of people, this is their first big stop in their professional development, and getting to put on a show for them is an added bonus.”
In addition to being a law student and working for the Loons, Gonder has served as Midland High’s football PA announcer for the past two seasons and has worked the mic at Chemic baseball and hockey games many times in the past.
Although he doesn’t have much free time, he does enjoy a few hobbies.
“Right now, it’s hard to have many (hobbies) while I’m in law school, but I like to learn, and I love spending time with my family,” he noted. “I also enjoy all kinds of music. I’m similar to my dad in that I like discovering niche music and diving into it. I was in band in high school, and I love to play the saxophone.”
Gonder said he is chomping at the bit for the Loons’ season to get underway.
“Dow Diamond has been my second home since I was seven years old,” he said. “Opening day is exciting every year, and I can’t wait to get started.”
“A lot of new terminology, a lot of information that players need to be able to understand,” Fernandez said. “Conditioning is huge as well. The lifting, the stretching, the nutritionall of these things that we emphasize so players can
The Loons are experts at engaging fans to make every trip to the ballpark a memorable and fun experience. Dow Diamond is widely regarded as one of the finest ballparks around, and 2025 again will be the site of exciting baseball and many special promotions throughout the season.
and a featured craft brewery option will be available in The Cove.
Sundays will again be designated as “Kids Eat Free” and “Kids Run the Bases” days, while “Main Event” Saturdays will feature bigger promotions.
“Then I wanted to get out of sports and try something that was more 9-5,” she said, and that led to an advertising job with Effectv, a Comcast company in Nashville, Tennessee.
Finally, Stockford ended up back home and found a work home at the ballpark last April.
“This was the best of both worlds, doing sports and advertising,” she said.
As dirctor of sales at The Mitt, a 24-hour sports station, she is in charge of bringing in new clients and working with longtime partners of the radio station, and helping them promote their brand and make a customized marketing plan.
And that ties in with Loons games as well.
“I still have the ability to sell (Loons) sponsorships and tickets, so I get to have a hand in the Loons and bring our clinents out to the games, which is a big perk,” Stockford enthused.
With The Mitt airing
local high school sports in addition to the Loons and other sports, Stockford was excited to recently see her alma mater, Meridian, make a big run to the Division 3 quarterfinals in girls’ basketball.
“It’s really cool to see our girls basketball team doing well, especially being an alum,” she said.
Now it’s baseball season, and you’ll find Stockford up in the radio booth throughout the spring and summer.
“It’s a very exciting time. We’re all very much chomping at the bit ready for the season because that means warm weather is coming. It’ll definitely be a busy summer in the ballpark,” she said. “It’s a fun job and a fun place to be. I’m really excited for this year.”
Email Managing Editor Dan Chalk at chalk@ mdn.net with story ideas about education, business, sports, the military, and interesting people and events in the Midland area.
Among the upcoming Saturday promotions will be the return of Stars Wars Night on June 14 and Princess Night, during which the players will don Moana jerseys, on June 21. Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6 will be Red, White and Bluey Weekend, as popular cartoon character Bluey and her little sister Bingo will visit Dow Diamond.
Saturday, Aug. 9 will be Wonderful Wizard of Oz Night, while Saturday, Aug. 30 will be The Gamer’s Game and will feature esports themes.
Meanwhile, the Loons will take on the alternate identities of the “Pontooners” during the weekend of July 24-27 and “Los Pepinillos Picantes del Norte” (The Spicy Pickles of the North) on Copa de la Diversion Night, which will be on Friday, July 11 and will kick off three nights of highlighting local Hispanic and Latino communities.
“Alternate identity nights are always a hit with the fans,” said DeVries. “As much as they like buying and wearing Loons’ outfits, they enjoy wearing those alternate identity outfits as well.”
DeVries said that the team’s other “Main Event” theme nights are also popular every year.
“The Main Event themes provide the entertainment that fans have come to
know and expect,” he said. “True Crime Night (Thursday, July 10), Princess Night, and Star Wars Night are ones that fans tend to gravitate toward during the summer.”
Of course, there will also be the always-popular postgame fireworks shows throughout the season. This year, fans will be treated to fireworks after 11 home games, with the first coming on May 17 and the last on Aug. 30.
“We hear from fans every single year that the fireworks shows that we put on at the ballpark on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are memories they’ll have for a really long time,” DeVries said. “They’re great for families and for young kids, and they cap off a night of lifelong memories that you get at the ballpark.”
DeVries said he is also excited to celebrate the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series championship this season, noting that the Loons will sport their parent team’s colors twice during the season.
“Of course, we’re a Dodgers affiliate, and they’re the reigning world champions. We’ll be able to celebrate that achievement by wearing our Dodgers’ colors on May 17 and June 20. That’s something no other team in the Midwest League can do,” DeVries said.
“It’s been a great partnership since the team’s inception in 2007, and we have the unique opportunity to celebrate that this year,” he added.
For more information on any of the Loons’ upcoming promotions, go to https:// www.milb.com/greatlakes/tickets/promotions.
youth
Continued From Page 9
manager of the radio station.
“When I was brought in, I was welcomed even though I will always say I really had no right being here at 19 years old,” Tunney said. “Jerry O’Donnell is another name (who welcomed me) in this regard. Brad Golder ... was more than happy to give up some of his reps (on the air) to allow me to grow in this space a little quicker than I probably would’ve in some other areas.”
At the same time as new young voices hit the airwaves, some former Loons broadcasters have gone on to prominent radio jobs elsewhere.
Vosters became the TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Blackhawks for two years, and former Loons and 100.9 broadcaster Jared Sandler became the radio voice of the Texas Rangers, calling their World Series championship in 2023.
“The development of people that have come through here and gone on to do other things, I think we take great pride in that, too,” Tunney said.
A SUCCESSFUL REBRAND
For his part, Vicari, who’s from Queens, New York, never expected to end up in Michigan, but after getting to know Dow Diamond and the station well as a radio voice for the visiting Lake County Captains in 2023, he jumped over to the Loons a short time later.
And Bosscher was hired as on-field host for the Loons in the summer of 2023, going into his senior
year at CMU. He then joined the station that October with its successful rebranding from ESPN to 100.9 The Mitt, and began his nightly one-hour sports talk show, “The Payoff.”
“Committing to a rebrand of the station has been big,” Vicari said. “If this station hadn’t rebranded and we had kept it in netural, I wouldn’t have the position I have in terms of full-time, and Ben wouldn’t have a show.”
“The three of us were so bought into (the rebrand) that I never thought it wouldn’t work out,” Bosscher said.
Bosscher had gotten his feet wet on the air by hosting a two-hour daily show on 100.1 FM earlier in 2023.
“Towards the end of that summer, Brad asked if I was interested in potentially hosting The Payoff, since he had listened to a couple segments I had sent to him. My jaw hit the floor,” Bosscher admitted.
Tunney saw himself in Bosscher’s shoes about 10 years earlier. In both cases, a young person was given a shot and the made the most of it.
“When Matt DeVries (now the Loons’ Director of Marketing, Entertainment, & Storytelling) showed up at CMU and said to me, ‘Do you want to call baseball games in Midland?’ I said, ‘Where is Midland?’” Tunney recalled. “So they were very similar stories.”
Now, “The Payoff” is set to move to a three-hour morning slot starting June 2.
Sarah Stockford is Director
of Sales for
Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. (loons.com)
“Sticking Ben at local establishments, getting live guests on the air with him, and being informational and impactful in the region for a longer time period (is the idea behind this move),” Tunney said. “Ben will become a fixture, hopefully, with the likes of Art Lewis and everyone else in this region.”
And the Loons and the station have given these young radio personalities a reason to stay in the community.
“It does feel good to know that we’re cultivating full-time jobs for young people in a community that is consdered to be aging or to not be for young folks,” Tunney said. “The idea that we can create new position that keep people in their 20s here is exciting.
“There was no reason for either of these guys or for me, frankly, to live in Midland without the jobs we have here. We are definitely not living in Midland without this radio station, that’s for sure,” Tunney added.
Email Managing Editor Dan Chalk at chalk@ mdn.net with story ideas about education, business, sports, the military, and interesting people and events in the Midland area.
