“When you apply yourself and ask questions, you get answers, and when you have the answers, you gain the knowledge — and knowledge is power. Put yourself out there, feel uncomfortable and always look for ways to improve,” said Cody Nelson.
Cody Nelson ’21, turned his passion for sports into a career with the Harrisburg Senators. Nelson majored in marketing and was incredibly active on campus. He served as a student manager for the Ship softball team and helped reestablish the Theta Chi fraternity.
“One of my favorite parts of my time at Ship was being a student manager for the softball team. My duties involved going to practice every day, riding the team bus to away games, and helping with coaching.”
Nelson’s experience with Ship softball helped him learn more about sports management and also helped him develop essential leadership and communication skills.
“The people skills and the experience itself — being a part of the team every day and getting to experience people’s struggles and helping them overcome them — definitely helped me get into this role.”
After graduating, Nelson started working part-time with the Senators, selling 50/50 tickets at games. Eventually, his dedication paid off.
“It only took two home series before they offered me a full-time internship,” Nelson said. “And then at the end of that year, they offered me a full-time job on the sales team.”
Now, Nelson is busy year-round filling the Senators’ stadium seats and contributing to the game-day experience. During the off-season, he focuses on outreach and planning. The in-season is by far the busiest time for Nelson.
“On a game day, I’m here in the morning for meetings,” he said. “Then, the team and I prep the stadium, get groups situated and then work through the game. We’re the last people to leave the stadium – sometimes logging 13 to 14 hour days.”
Nelson’s official title may be “Ticket Account Executive”, but his responsibilities often go beyond his job description. To name one of the many off-the-wall tasks that Nelson has had to take on, he once rappelled down the Fulton Bank building as Rascal (Harrisburg Senator’s main mascot)!
“In minor league baseball, you often wear many hats. I’m pulling the tarp on the field, I put a suit on and dance between innings with my bosses, launching T-shirts into the stands,” he said. “It’s a really fun energy.”
Nelson and fellow “Diamond Divas” dancing on the field at a Senators home game.
Nelson’s passion extends back to his childhood and his father’s love for the game. Even though he works in minor league baseball, throughout high school and college, he felt the most drawn to softball. While at Northern York High School, he served as an assistant coach for the softball team.
“Softball is a more condensed version of baseball — it’s more precise, there’s more action, he said. “And from a coaching standpoint, I liked it better because I noticed girls are more open about what was going on. It was easier for them to see the obstacles they had in front of them, and to help them overcome them,” said Nelson.
Nelson credits Ship’s softball team, especially Head Coach Allison Van Scyoc and former All-American Hannah Marsteller, who is now the assistant coach, with helping to shape his leadership style.
“Coach Ally created a great team culture. The stern advice she gave while still having our respect is something I look up to,” he said. “And Hannah’s work ethic and how she was with her teammates was inspiring.”
At the Senators, Nelson now sees the team president Kevlin Kulm and his former supervisor Frankie Vernouski as strong mentors.
“Kevin gave me a shot and believed in me, and Frankie created a safe space for me to be myself and taught me how to do the work and be proud,” Nelson said.
Aside from Nelson’s full-time work, he also manages special projects for the team, including coordinating autograph sessions for the Topps baseball card company.
From a love for baseball at a young age to forming a love for softball in high school and college to working his way up at the Harrisburg Senators, Nelson serves as an example of how dedicating yourself to a passion can go a long way. His advice to current students hoping to follow a similar path is simple: ask questions and make connections.
