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April 27, 2022 5:07 pm | by Samantha Santos
We are so happy to be able to highlight one more round of Gatemen Alumni who are making us so proud with all their personal and professional accomplishments!
Texas Rangers Major League Staff Assistant Theo Hooper was a player development and scouting intern in 2017. During his time with the Gatemen, Hooper served as a scout liaison, assisted in team meetings and practices and more. He started his MLB career with the Tampa Bay Rays as a video intern and started with the Rangers in 2019.
Hooper wanted to spotlight Gatemen pitching coach Jim Lawler, whom he credits with helping him get his career in baseball off the ground. “He was very instrumental about getting my career off the ground and helped me out. I need to give him a shout-out for help, for sure,” Hooper said, explaining how Lawler helped him get a job with the University of Tennessee’s baseball coaching staff while he was in college.
“I really need to give him some praise,” Hooper said.
Jason Nichols currently holds the position of Major League Video Coordinator for the Kansas City Royals. For the Royals, Nichols captures and collects all in-game video for players and coaching staff and manages major and minor league dugout iPads.
In 2017, Nichols was another one of the Gatemen’s baseball operations and scouting interns. Within the scouting internship program, Nichols, along with the other interns, learned how to write scouting reports and work alongside MLB scouts.
“[The Gatemen] was my real first step of wanting to get into professional baseball and making a career for myself. It was the most unbelievable summer of my life, living with them and making those good friends,” Nichols said.
Former player development and scouting intern Zach Stovall is a Data Apprentice for the Texas Rangers Triple-A team, the Round Rock Express. In the Rangers organization, his responsibilities are very vast. From assisting in the scouting process to his involvement in team videography, Stovall has spent the past two years being a much-needed extra pair of hands for Texas.
Despite the big size difference in MiLB and the Cape League, Stovall has found that interacting with players in both professional and amateur baseball is overall very similar. The best piece of advice he ever received that he took with him from the Gatemen to the Rangers is “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” He says he has used this to develop meaningful relationships with coaches, players and staff throughout his career.
Addison Van Pattern is a reporter/weekend anchor at ABC News 9 in Wisconsin. In 2019, she was the sideline reporter for the Wareham Gatemen. With ABC News 9, she reports on the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks.
While on the Cape from her home state of California, her biggest growth came in learning how to form pointed questions when interviewing. “It’s your opportunity to try everything that you think in your head you thought you’d want to try in a low-stress, low-pressure environment. We’re all messing up every single day, so it’s okay. You’re encouraged and people will laugh with you instead of at you,” Van Patten said.
Juliana Nikac is a Social Media Coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies. In her role, she works in content ideation and creation for each of the Phillies’ social media channels. In the summer of 2019, Nikac was the Gatemen’s social media intern and was able to gain valuable experience in her future career.
“That position was the steppingstone for me to get to where I am today,” Nikac said.
We love highlighting our former interns and sharing what they are up to now after their summers with us. Look out for content on the 2022 season coming soon!
