Veteran Minor League Baseball Executive Jim Holland Joins West Virginia Miners
March 3, 2016 - Prospect League (Prospect)
West Virginia Miners News Release
The West Virginia Miners of the Prospect Baseball League have announced the addition of long-time minor league veteran Jim Holland to their staff in the position of Director of Sales, Marketing, and Game Day Operations. Holland started work for the team on Tuesday, March 1 and already has his office set up at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, WV, home of the Miners.
He replaces Matt Hanshew, who has left the Miners' organization to pursue other opportunities.
Holland, a 58-year old native of Dunbar, WV, joins the Miners following a 2015 season that saw him conclude a 24-year span in his role as general manager of guiding MLB-affiliated minor league baseball teams in nearby Princeton, WV. His tenure saw him occupying the GM slot for teams in Princeton affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds (1992-1996) and the Tampa Bay Rays (1997-2015). It was Holland, in 1992, who originated the idea of the Mercer Cup, a trophy to be awarded annually to the winner of the Princeton-Bluefield regular season series. In 1993, he was named Appalachian League Executive of the Year for that season. He was the Corporate Secretary for the Appalachian League from 2002-2012 and is a former member of the league's executive committee. To date, he is the only person in Appalachian League history to be a five-time winner of the annual Appalachian League Promotional Award of Excellence (2002, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012). This honor is given annually to the individual who is determined by a vote of Appalachian League executives to best promote and publicize his team while also having an attractive promotional schedule for his team's home games.
"I am very honored to accept the offer to join the Miners' organization. It's an exciting new opportunity to be part of a working environment that is committed to promoting the game of baseball all day, every day. They already have a proven track record of success here. I plan to assist in whatever way I can to make the organization even stronger for our loyal fans in the greater Beckley area as well as throughout southern West Virginia and beyond," commented Holland, who added that Beckley is a proven sports market and he is excited about promoting the many other baseball events this year in addition to the Miners (four Marshall University games, 2016 Mountain East Conference Baseball Tournament, and the Upper Deck Baseball Training Academy among others) that take place at Epling Stadium year round.
The Miners play in the Eastern Division of the 12-team Prospect League, a collegiate wooden bat league with teams located throughout six states. The league plays a 60-game regular season schedule that annually stretches from late-May to early-August. The league is stocked with many of the top college players throughout North America and beyond. The Miners joined the league as an expansion franchise in 2010 and their extended run of success is highlighted by winning back-to-back Prospect League titles in 2012 and 2013.
Persons needing more information on the Miners or needing to purchase tickets for the 2016 season are asked to call the team's office at 304-252-7233.
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Prospect League Stories from March 3, 2016
- Veteran Minor League Baseball Executive Jim Holland Joins West Virginia Miners - West Virginia Miners
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