Brian Spagnola... President & GM
gm@AmsterdamMohawks.com -- 518-791-7546Brian Spagnola has been president of the Amsterdam Mohawks since 2003. As a lifelong Amsterdam resident, he has dedicated himself to making Shuttleworth Park into a top venue for baseball in the nation. He has led the Mohawks to league championships in 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2022. He has also helped the Mohawks turn into a leader in game atmospheres as well as attendance.
Spagnola began his affiliation with college baseball coaching at then NCAA Division II power The College of Saint Rose. He has served as an assistant coach there under Bob Bellizzi from 1991 to 2003 and also was the head coach of the Schenectady Mohawks from 1991-1993. His 1991 team had eight players on it who later went on to play professional baseball. He also served as an assistant coach with the Mohawks in 1990 and 1994. He is currently third in line for coaches with the most wins in Mohawk history. In 2003, he stepped away from Saint Rose to become the head coach at his alma mater, Amsterdam High School, where in just a few short years he turned the program into one of the finest in the area.
He lives in Amsterdam with his wife Jill and has five children Marissa (27), Max (24), Mackenzie (22), Andrew (20), and Amelia (13).
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David Dittmann... Vice President
DDittmann@cox.net -- 401-255-1049David Dittman joined the Mohawks in 2007 and in one short season was instrumental in helping double attendance figures and create a more business friendly environment with the Mohawks organization.
Dittmann previously owned the Newport Gulls and helped start the Vermont Mountaineers and Plymouth Pilgrims of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He was instrumental in the success of all of those teams. He also owned the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plains League. These teams all led their respective leagues in attendance or showed tremendous growth during Dittmann's tenure. Earlier, Dittmann owned an array of minor league team baseball teams, including the New Haven Ravens AA team. He grew up around baseball as his father was the corporate attorney for the Philadelphia Phillies for years.
Dittmann resides in Newport, RI.
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Megan Anagnostopulos... Assistant General Manager
Megan@AmsterdamMohawks.com -- 518-391-5236
Megan was born and raised in Johnstown, NY. After high school, she furthered her academic and athletic career at SUNY Brockport where she was a member of the women’s basketball team. Megan graduated from SUNY Brockport in May of 2019, majoring in Sports Management, minoring in Business Administration and Coaching. While at SUNY Brockport, placed an internship as a tournament intern in 2019 at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Following undergrad, Megan attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she completed her Master’s Degree in Sports Management. During her time at ODU, she placed a Graduate Assistantship with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association as their Coordinator of Marketing and Events. After completing her Master’s Degree, she placed a job as Account Executive of Ticket Sales and Operations with the Albany FireWolves, the new box lacrosse team in Albany.
Megan has spent three seasons with the Amsterdam Mohawks in the past. She was an intern her first year and then got promoted as Director of Group Sales for her next two season. She is excited to be back in Amsterdam working for the Mohawks.
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Pat Beck... Director of Corporate Relations
bosslady@nycap.rr.com -- 518-441-7822Pat was added to the Mohawks staff in 2015 after her retirement as publisher of The Leader Herald newspaper. She will be a liaison between the Mohawks and all corporate clients and as well serve as a marketing consultant for the team. She is a longtime Amsterdam resident, having raised a wonderful family with her late husband Skip.
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Jeffrey Parker...Director of Stadium and Grounds
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Jon Sargalis... Director of Public Relations & Media Relations
Jon@AmsterdamMohawks.com -- 518-258-4208A Mohawks fan since 2004, Jon's first position with the team was as a photographer in 2006. He then volunteered to assist in stadium operations from 2009-10. In 2011, he became a Marketing and Promotions Intern for the team. In 2012, he was hired as the Director of Marketing and Media Relations. This position continues today; he currently coordinates all baseball media releases during the off-season. He's the team's exclusive graphic artist and is in charge all social media and website updates.
Jon was an assistant coach and scorekeeper for the Broadalbin-Perth High School for 6 years and had his jersey retired at a Mohawks game in 2013. He also worked as the PR/Media Relations Intern for the Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL for the 2012-13 hockey season under the direction of former Mohawks broadcaster Bob Rotruck.
Currently, Jon has been working for the Chicago Cubs Guest Services department since 2015 and has a World Series ring from the 2016 season. In addition, he has worked for the Chicago Bears Fan Services department since 2018, America's Pastime Stables since 2019, the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Communications department since 2022 and has been a baseball coach at the prestigious Latin School of Chicago since 2015.
Jon grew up in Broadalbin, NY and currently resides in Chicago, IL.
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Eric Zelezniak... Director of Marketing
Eric Zelezniak is a freshman at Hudson Valley Community College where he is studying Business Administration as well as playing on the baseball team. He is very excited to be returning home to the Mohawks with hopes to gain a lot more experience and knowledge taking on a more involved role with the organization.
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Carla Pasquarelli... Head Athletic Trainer
Carla joined the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2011 and has been serving as our athletic trainer ever since. During the year she works with local schools. Carla graduated from Russell Sage College with a bachelor of science in athletic training.
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Connor Cozzocrea... Assistant Athletic Trainer
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Paula Hawkins... Host Family Coordinator
Paula has served as the Mohawks Host Family Coordinator since 2015. Her role to secure and coordinate housing for the players is a thankless job, but one of the most critical elements to the Mohawks success. Paula resides in Amsterdam with her husband Jeremy and has a son David.
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Barry Rouse... On-Field Entertainment
The on-field voice of the Mohawks since 2009, Barry's passion for the Mohawks and the game are evident through the fun he creates for the fans.
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Bob Scott... Director of Veteran Relations
Bob's love for the Mohawks and his desire to honor all Veterans is truly remarkable. Bob strives to improve the Mohawks organization in every aspect.
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Andrew Spagnola... Stadium Sound
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Brian Cady... PA Announcer
Brian has been a lifelong resident of the Capital Region, born and raised in Albany prior to moving to Amsterdam in 2017. Upon graduating from Christian Brothers Academy in 2005, Brian attended Siena College for a year and a half with original intentions of majoring in Political Science, but he found a true passion volunteering at the on-campus radio station WVCR 88.3 The Saint. He eventually went on to receive a Radio & Television Arts Certificate from The New School of Radio and Television in 2008, leading to eventual opportunities with Townsquare Media in Schenectady, Albany Broadcasting in Latham and the now-defunct Empire Broadcasting group in Malta.
During his time working in radio, Brian discovered a new passion that continues to this day - Sports PA Announcing. Since beginning in 2013, Brian has announced events for several area colleges, Cage Wars MMA and even a few local Pro Wrestling companies. He has also worked with the NYSPHSAA Girls Basketball Championships since 2018 and has been the official voice of their Championship Weekend at HVCC since 2020. Brian also worked as the announcer for the Amsterdam HS Holiday Basketball Showcase for the first time in December 2021.
Brian made his debut for the Amsterdam Mohawks as their new PA Announcer for the 2019 season and has loved every minute of it, looking forward to see what the Mohawks have to offer this season!
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Mojo... MascotA lifelong Mohawks fan, Mojo became the team's official mascot in 2006. It's unclear how old Mojo is or where he came from, because he won't tell anyone. In fact, he barely says anything at all. It is believed that Mojo lost his voice cheering for the Mohawks after they won the championship in 2003. Since then, he has enjoyed livening up Shuttleworth Park and loves the between inning games and dances.
In 2006, right before signing on with the Mohawks, Mojo tried out for the second season of Dancing With The Stars. The producers of the show felt that Mojo was "too famous" and his presence would be "unfair to the other stars." The show instead picked ESPN analyst Kenny Mayne, who performed a disastrous cha-cha and was the first contestant eliminated. Since then, Mojo has made it a point to perform the Cha-Cha Slide at every home game to show off his superior dancing skills. Mojo always invites the kids and players to join in the on-field dances to show that he can share the spotlight. Players like Ricky Breymier (Pittsburgh) in 2008 and Rich Vrana (Marist) in 2013 have come on and stolen the show, but Mojo loves enthusiasm and loves all the fans that attend the games.
If you see Mojo at a game or around the city, be sure to give him a high-five for good luck.
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2024 Interns
Sam Federman…Broadcaster
Sam is a rising sophomore at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, majoring in Broadcast and Digital Journalism. Sam graduated from Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York, NY in 2023, and is a native of West Harrison, NY. Sam was the voice of athletics at both his middle and high school. Last summer, he was the voice of Palm Springs Power baseball, calling games for the 30-1 Champions of the California Premier Collegiate League. Additionally, he was the voice of the Power Summer Collegiate League in Palm Springs. At Syracuse, he covered the volleyball beat for the Daily Orange in the fall of his freshman year. He's also a college basketball writer covering mid-majors in the northeast, especially the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, for Mid-Major Madness. Sam is also an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots and UConn Huskies.
John Boccio... Broadcaster
John is from Long Island, New York. He graduated from Chaminade High School in June 2023. In his sophomore year of high school, he started a sports broadcasting program. They were able to do play-by-play and color for all of Chaminade athletics. That included major sports like baseball, basketball, and football. This also extended to sports like bowling and volleyball. The team has expanded today to include positions in public address announcing and statistician work. He will be a sophomore in the fall at Syracuse University studying Broadcast and Digital Journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. At Syracuse, he is an Associate Producer for Citrus TV’s On the Bench. He is also a member of WAER Sports, Z89 Sports, and more.
Eliasar Perez...Broadcaster
Eliasar Perez is a student at Plattsburgh State University of New York. He majored in TV/Video Production while also producing two live productions and covering some men's and women's Ice Hockey games. In college, Eliasar spent three semesters producing shows and sports games at Plattsburgh State Television. He played 7 years of baseball before committing to SUNY Plattsburgh and has lived his whole life following the game of baseball. His future career is one day to call a Yankees game or any other sports team that needs his voice. He also wants to own his personal production studio where he can express his creativity. Eliasar is very excited to join the Mohawks staff and also gain a multitude of experience in the baseball industry.
Rajat Rohilla... Analytics Intern
Rajat is Graduate Student at Syracuse University, pursuing Master's in Applied Data science. Rajat is from India and is academic integrity hearing student panelist. Rajat plays Badminton, basketball and volleyball. He is very excited to be the part of Mohawks and what this great opportunity will teach him. he is thrilled to be able to get this experience over the summer!
Kayla Novak... Analytics Intern
Kayla Novak is originally from Albany, NY and currently attends Binghamton University as a Statistics major and Digital and Data studies minor. She plays on the Binghamton University Woman's Club Soccer team and loves the world of sports. She is excited to apply her statistics knowledge to baseball and gain experience from the Amsterdam Mohawks.
Justin Kearns... Analytics Intern
Justin is currently attending Mercyhurst University majoring in Sports Business and Management. He hopes to work with the analytic side of sports after graduating. He is a Mets fan and is looking forward to a successful season with the Mohawks.
Amogh Benare... Marketing Intern
Amogh is an international student acquiring a master’s degree in marketing at the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University. He had a rather unusual path to this career in marketing, earning my undergraduate degree in architecture and having a background in graphic design. Understanding what it takes to promote new business undertakings, he was highly involved in creating/developing several start-ups’ visual brands and marketing campaigns. Furthermore, he has experience in content creation and digital marketing.
Kennedy Joseph... Marketing Intern
Kennedy Joseph is a junior at SUNY Albany studying Economics and Communications. He is from Middletown, NY and likes playing basketball with my friends and also watching it. He looks forward to joining the Mohawks staff and learn from them.
Connor Beagle... Analytics Intern
Connor Beagle is from Le Roy, New York and just completed his undergraduate degree in Sports Management & Marketing at Roberts Wesleyan University. He is currently enrolled in the graduate program at Roberts for Strategic Leadership. He hopes in the future to land a position working as a sports information director or marketing specialist in the sports industry. He has always been involved with sports, as he played soccer, basketball, and track growing up.
Garrett Dooling... Operations Intern
Garrett is from Gloversville and is currently a sophomore at East Carolina University pursuing a degree in marketing with hopes to one day work in sports. He grew up playing baseball and played throughout high school. He is really looking forward to working with the mohawks this summer!