Eight sport management students and three faculty members attended the Pittsburgh Pirates Third annual Curt Roberts Step Up to the Plate recruitment event at PNC Park on Oct. 13.
Students Madison Reeser, Ariana Burke, Joseph Yanchak, Morgan Montgomery, Arielle Friedman, Zorin Istvan, Jalen Thornton and Hanna Rosenberger attended the event with Patrick Hairston, Justin Wartella, and Gary Lhotsky, all teaching associate professors.
Pittsburgh Pirates President Travis Williams and General Manager Ben Cherington welcomed the students. Participants attended a lunch and panel discussion with personnel including WVU sport management alumna Jackie Riggleman, manager, PNC Park special projects for strategy and facility services.
Student groups pitched promotion ideas within a business strategy competition to a panel of Pirates employees. The CPASS sport management team of Ariana Burke, Arielle Friedman, Hanna Rosenberger and Madison Reeser presented “Stand Up to Cancer/Marvel Superhero Night,” which was selected as the top competition winner. The group received a one-month paid internship with the Pirates during the 2022 season.
Students also participated in a networking event that included individual conversations with Pirates employees from different departments.
The event honored Curt Roberts, a pioneer who made his MLB debut with the Pirates on April 13, 1954. He was the first African American player in the organization’s history. The annual gathering provides area university students with an opportunity to network and connect with Pirates managers and leaders in memory of Roberts' legacy.