March 9, 2020 –Rich Baseball Operations today announced that Anthony Sprague has been named General Manager of the Buffalo Bisons. Approaching his 19th season with the organization, Sprague becomes just the third General Manager in the club’s modern Triple-A era and only the 20th in the 136-year history of the franchise.
Sprague takes over general manager duties from Mike Buczkowski, who was promoted to President of Rich Baseball Operations prior to the 2019 season and had held both positions over the last year.
Rich Baseball Operations has also announced the promotions of Brad Bisbing to Assistant General Manager of the Bisons, Geoff Lundquist as Bisons Director of Sales, Theresa Cerabone as Merchandise Manager for Rich Baseball Operations and Chas Fiscella as Rich Baseball Operations Accounting Manager. (headshots of all promoted associates are available upon request.)
Rich Baseball Operations not only encompasses the Buffalo Bisons, but also the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) of the Texas League and the Single-A West Virginia Black Bears (Pirates) of the NY-Penn League.
“We are thrilled to have Anthony as the next general manager of the Bisons to continue our long-standing tradition of providing the absolute best sports and family entertainment experience in town,” said Buczkowski, President, Rich Baseball Operations. “Anthony’s dedication to our core values, his ability to connect with people, and his commitment to doing things the right way makes him an excellent choice to lead our organization moving forward.”
“What makes the Bisons and Rich Baseball Operations so strong is the continued development and growth of our associates into leaders. All of the promotions we are making today allow us to continue Bob and Mindy Rich’s vision that we serve as passionate stewards of this great game for the Western New York and Southern Ontario communities for years to come,” said Joe Segarra, Chief Operating Officer of the Rich Entertainment Group.
Anthony Sprague first joined the Bisons in 2002 as an intern in the sales department and earned a full-time position the following season. In 2011, he was promoted to Director of Sales and continued to oversee all sales efforts as Assistant General Manager starting in 2017. During his tenure with the Bisons, Sprague has pioneered many of the team’s most successful events, including the club’s annual Star Wars and Superhero Nights, with both events raising funds and awareness for worthy causes.
A native of Hoosick Falls, NY and a resident of Lancaster, Sprague is a graduate of SUNY Cortland where he pitched four seasons for the Red Dragons and helped lead the team to four consecutive Division III College World Series appearances from 1998-2001.
Sprague currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Buffalo Bisons Charitable Foundation, Compass House and the Superhero Alliance of Western New York and is also a member of the advanced committee for Explore and More Children’s Museum.
Brad Bisbing is entering his 17th season with the Bisons, first joining the team as a Public Relations Assistant in 2004. He was named Director of Public Relations before the 2008 season and took over as Director of Marketing/PR in 2017. Under his direction, the club’s official website, Bisons.com, has annually ranked as one of the top visited websites in all of Minor League Baseball. Bisbing will continue to manage all of the teams marketing, advertising and branding initiatives and be responsible for the team’s public and media relations and social media channels. A native of Alden and Depew resident, Bisbing graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2001.
Geoff Lundquist has been with the Bisons organization since 2003, working his first season part time in the ticket office before being hired the following year. As an Account Representative for 10 years, Lundquist secured several marketing partnerships for the team and coordinated the team’s successful School Kids Day game. In 2013, Lundquist was promoted Group Sales Manager and implemented several new initiatives that helped produce one of the club’s largest groups sales number in 2019. As Director of Sales, he will now oversee all sales efforts by the club, including corporate sponsorships and group sales. Lundquist is a Kenmore resident and a 2003 graduate of the University at Buffalo.
Theresa Cerabone joined the Bisons prior to the 2018 season with the team experiencing tremendous growth in its merchandise objectives in just two years. As Merchandise Manager, Cerabone created numerous new and engaging ways to expand the gameday experience into merchandise sales, including delivering ‘Buffalo Wings’ sales in classic chicken wings take out boxes to complementing promotions such as Hockey Night and the team’s Festival Series with fun apparel and novelties. A native of Angola, Cerabone is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia with a degree in sports management. As Merchandise Manager for Rich Baseball Operations, she will now oversee the ordering and marketing efforts of all three team’s merchandise departments.
Chas Fiscella is entering his sixth season with the Bisons after joining the team in March of 2015. A Certified Public Accountant, Fiscella will now oversee the accounting departments of all three of Rich Baseball Operations’ teams. Fiscella graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2009 before earning his master’s degree in accounting from the University at Buffalo in 2010. A native of Fairport, NY, Fiscella is also the treasurer for Senior Wishes and the Pet Emergency Fund charitable organizations.
-the herd-
Filed under: Buffalo Bisons, Local Headlines
Tagged with: Anthony Sprague, Buffalo Bisons
Sorry, comments are closed on this post.