Meet the Owners

Chuck Heeman, Pioneers Owner

After working for more than 25 years in professional sports, Chuck Heeman, along with his wife Mayra, founded the Pioneers in August 2017, leading up to our inaugural 2018 Championship season

Chuck has served as General Manager for four professional baseball teams as well serving as the founding General Manager with two Oregonbased summer collegiate baseball teams, the Klamath Falls Gems and Medford Rogues. Chuck also served four years as Operations Manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks His sports experience also includes three years with the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds at their Goodyear, Arizona Spring Training complex immediately prior to purchasing the Pioneers franchise.

Chuck, age 63 and getting too old for all this nonsense, is also a disabled veteran of the U. S. Air Force, a 13-year former U.S. Postal Service worker and a graduate of Arizona State University. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Chuck grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio He is married to Mayra Heeman The couple has four children and six grandchildren and resides in Gering, Nebraska.

Mayra Heeman, Pioneers Owner

Mayra, the retired mother of four and grandmother of six, volunteers her spare time to help the Pioneers in a number of ways She recruits and works with host families and helps with business operations. Following a heart attack, quintuple bypass and stroke in the fall of 2018, Mayra has cut back on her baseball duties and is restricted by management from doing too much Fans and friends are encouraged to tell Mayra to slow down!

Due to past let's say "incidents" Mayra is not allowed to sit and watch games in which she is not working (she gets a little intensesome stories there if you'd like to hear). However, Mayra is always ready with a smile and a hug at Pios games and loves to spend time with the fans

Mayra served for five years as a volunteer with the Klamath Falls Gems and Medford Rogues (both in Oregon) where her husband served as General Manager. Prior to retirement and getting sucked into the baseball world, Mayra worked in the legal field as a litigating paralegal for law firms in California and Arizona.

A native of Mexico, Mayra came to the United States at age nine and grew up in Southern California Mayra and Chuck Heeman were married in 2008 and moved to Gering in August 2017. The couple resides in Gering, Nebraska, where they purchased a home in April 2021.

ASSISTANTGENERALMANGER Connie Ernest

A native of Bridgeport, Nebraska, Connie Ernest joined the staff of the Pioneers in April 2021.

Connie is mother of two children, stepmother of six and grandmother to 11 She began her career with Cabela’s in Sidney, working her way up from telemarketing to marketing manager in a 29-year career.

Moving to the area in 2014, she began a five-year career as Marketing Director at the Scottsbluff StarHerald Newspaper

Now semi-retired, Connie is ecstatic to bring her years of experience to the Western Nebraska Pioneers where she will serve as Group Coordinator. Connie will be the Pioneers’ “go-to” contact for party decks, company and birthday parties, and all things groups! Connie is married to Dennis Ernest and resides in Gering

Connie has earned numerous "Employee of the Month" awards during her time with the Pioneers

EventCoordinator Chera Gabis

Chera Gabis, originally from Potter, Nebraska, is excited to join the Western Nebraska Pioneers staff for this season Chera moved to Gering five years ago with her husband Chris Chera has spent the last three-and-a half years working at the Star-Herald.

Previously, she spent 12 years working for Cabela’s in various roles, most notably as an Internal Auditor.

Chera was a baseball fan before she met her husband, but because of him, she was forced into life as a Cincinnati Reds fan.

Chris and Chera spend many nights and weekends following their favorite baseball teams, including the Pioneers, since their inaugural season She also enjoys the outdoors, volunteering, and spending time with family

Nelson is in his second stint as an assistant baseball coach at Lakeland University in Plymouth, Wisconsin. After starting his coaching career at Lakeland from 2016-2018, Nelson has coached collegiately at Bryant & Stratton College (WI), UW-Platteville, and has now returned to Lakeland University. During his time at Platteville, Nelson helped coach the programs first ever All-American in Jonny Kelso Kelso was also named the WIAC Position Player of the Year as well as the Region Player of the Year. He developed an offense that went from hitting 254/ 352/ 368 and 19 HR in 41 games and improved to hitting .310/.386/.440 with 30 HR in 35 games the following year.

Aside from collegiate coaching, Nelson served as the Head Assistant Coach for the professional Tucson Saguaros in the Pecos League of Professional Baseball during the summer of 2018. During the summers from 2019-2021 Nelson was the head coach of the High Point Hushpuppies in the summer collegiate Old North State League, located in High Point, NC In his three seasons as the head coach of the Hushpuppies, Nelson led his teams to an overall record of (66-21), including league champions in 2020. Aside from collegiate coaching, Nelson served as the Head Assistant Coach for the professional Tucson Saguaros in the Pecos League of Professional Baseball during the summer of 2018. During the summers from 2019-2021 Nelson was the head coach of the High Point Hushpuppies in the summer collegiate Old North State League, located in High Point, NC In his three seasons as the head coach of the Hushpuppies, Nelson led his teams to an overall record of (66-21), including league champions in 2020.

During his time in the ONSL, Nelson left as the winningest coach in league history and coached the league’s first ever MLB draft pick in Brendan Collins (17th Round, Washington Nationals 2021 MLB Draft). Nelson also coached the league’s Pitcher of the Year in all three seasons Before beginning his coaching duties, Nelson played independent minor league baseball for the Garden City Wind in the Pecos League. In his two seasons with the Wind, Nelson hit a combined .250 and helped the Wind earn their first division title in franchise history during the 2016 season Nelson resides in Sheboygan, Wisconsin with his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Kinsley and Baker.