League Champs

2003 2012
2004 2013
2009 2014
2010 2016
2019

Staff

Brian Spagnola... President & GM
gm@AmsterdamMohawks.com -- 518-791-7546

Brian Spagnola has been president of the Amsterdam Mohawks since 2003. As a lifelong Amsterdam resident, he has dedicated himself to making Shuttleworth Park into a top venue for baseball in the nation. He has led the Mohawks to league championships in 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2022. He has also helped the Mohawks turn into a leader in game atmospheres as well as attendance.

Spagnola began his affiliation with college baseball coaching at then NCAA Division II power The College of Saint Rose. He has served as an assistant coach there under Bob Bellizzi from 1991 to 2003 and also was the head coach of the Schenectady Mohawks from 1991-1993. His 1991 team had eight players on it who later went on to play professional baseball. He also served as an assistant coach with the Mohawks in 1990 and 1994. He is currently third in line for coaches with the most wins in Mohawk history. In 2003, he stepped away from Saint Rose to become the head coach at his alma mater, Amsterdam High School, where in just a few short years he turned the program into one of the finest in the area.

He lives in Amsterdam with his wife Jill and has five children Marissa (27), Max (24), Mackenzie (22), Andrew (20), and Amelia (13).
................................................................................................................................................

 

David Dittmann... Vice President
DDittmann@cox.net -- 401-255-1049

David Dittman joined the Mohawks in 2007 and in one short season was instrumental in helping double attendance figures and create a more business friendly environment with the Mohawks organization.

Dittmann previously owned the Newport Gulls and helped start the Vermont Mountaineers and Plymouth Pilgrims of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He was instrumental in the success of all of those teams. He also owned the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plains League. These teams all led their respective leagues in attendance or showed tremendous growth during Dittmann's tenure. Earlier, Dittmann owned an array of minor league team baseball teams, including the New Haven Ravens AA team. He grew up around baseball as his father was the corporate attorney for the Philadelphia Phillies for years.

Dittmann resides in Newport, RI.
................................................................................................................................................

Megan Anagnostopulos... Assistant General Manager
Megan@AmsterdamMohawks.com -- 518-391-5236

Megan was born and raised in Johnstown, NY. After high school, she furthered her academic and athletic career at SUNY Brockport where she was a member of the women’s basketball team. Megan graduated from SUNY Brockport in May of 2019, majoring in Sports Management, minoring in Business Administration and Coaching. While at SUNY Brockport, placed an internship as a tournament intern in 2019 at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Following undergrad, Megan attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she completed her Master’s Degree in Sports Management. During her time at ODU, she placed a Graduate Assistantship with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association as their Coordinator of Marketing and Events. After completing her Master’s Degree, she placed a job as Account Executive of Ticket Sales and Operations with the Albany FireWolves, the new box lacrosse team in Albany.
 
Megan has spent three seasons with the Amsterdam Mohawks in the past. She was an intern her first year and then got promoted as Director of Group Sales for her next two season. She is excited to be back in Amsterdam working for the Mohawks.


................................................................................................................................................

Pat Beck... Director of Corporate Relations
bosslady@nycap.rr.com -- 518-441-7822

Pat was added to the Mohawks staff in 2015 after her retirement as publisher of The Leader Herald newspaper. She will be a liaison between the Mohawks and all corporate clients and as well serve as a marketing consultant for the team. She is a longtime Amsterdam resident, having raised a wonderful family with her late husband Skip.
 
 
 
 

................................................................................................................................................

 

Jeffrey Parker...Director of Stadium and Grounds

................................................................................................................................................

 

Jon Sargalis... Director of Public Relations & Media Relations
Jon@AmsterdamMohawks.com -- 518-258-4208

A Mohawks fan since 2004, Jon's first position with the team was as a photographer in 2006. He then volunteered to assist in stadium operations from 2009-10. In 2011, he became a Marketing and Promotions Intern for the team. In 2012, he was hired as the Director of Marketing and Media Relations. This position continues today; he currently coordinates all baseball media releases during the off-season. He's the team's exclusive graphic artist and is in charge all social media and website updates.

Jon was an assistant coach and scorekeeper for the Broadalbin-Perth High School for 6 years and had his jersey retired at a Mohawks game in 2013. He also worked as the PR/Media Relations Intern for the Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL for the 2012-13 hockey season under the direction of former Mohawks broadcaster Bob Rotruck.

Currently, Jon has been working for the Chicago Cubs Guest Services department since 2015 and has a World Series ring from the 2016 season. In addition, he has worked for the Chicago Bears Fan Services department since 2018, America's Pastime Stables since 2019, the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Communications department since 2022 and has been a baseball coach at the prestigious Latin School of Chicago since 2015.

Jon grew up in Broadalbin, NY and currently resides in Chicago, IL.
................................................................................................................................................

 

Carla Pasquarelli... Head Athletic Trainer


Carla joined the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2011 and has been serving as our athletic trainer ever since. During the year she works with local schools. Carla graduated from Russell Sage College with a bachelor of science in athletic training.

 
 
 
 
 
 
................................................................................................................................................
Connor Cozzocrea... Assistant Athletic Trainer
 
................................................................................................................................................
Paula Hawkins... Host Family Coordinator

Paula has served as the Mohawks Host Family Coordinator since 2015.  Her role to secure and coordinate housing for the players is a thankless job, but one of the most critical elements to the Mohawks success.  Paula resides in Amsterdam with her husband Jeremy and has a son David.
 
 

................................................................................................................................................

 

Barry Rouse... On-Field Entertainment


The on-field voice of the Mohawks since 2009, Barry's passion for the Mohawks and the game are evident through the fun he creates for the fans.  

 
 
 
 
 
................................................................................................................................................
 
Bob Scott... Director of Veteran Relations

Bob's love for the Mohawks and his desire to honor all Veterans is truly remarkable. Bob strives to improve the Mohawks organization in every aspect. 
 
 

................................................................................................................................................
 
 

 

Andrew Spagnola... Stadium Sound
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
................................................................................................................................................
 
Brian Cady... PA Announcer

Brian has been a lifelong resident of the Capital Region, born and raised in Albany prior to moving to Amsterdam in 2017. Upon graduating from Christian Brothers Academy in 2005, Brian attended Siena College for a year and a half with original intentions of majoring in Political Science, but he found a true passion volunteering at the on-campus radio station WVCR 88.3 The Saint. He eventually went on to receive a Radio & Television Arts Certificate from The New School of Radio and Television in 2008, leading to eventual opportunities with Townsquare Media in Schenectady, Albany Broadcasting in Latham and the now-defunct Empire Broadcasting group in Malta.
 
During his time working in radio, Brian discovered a new passion that continues to this day - Sports PA Announcing. Since beginning in 2013, Brian has announced events for several area colleges, Cage Wars MMA and even a few local Pro Wrestling companies. He has also worked with the NYSPHSAA Girls Basketball Championships since 2018 and has been the official voice of their Championship Weekend at HVCC since 2020. Brian also worked as the announcer for the Amsterdam HS Holiday Basketball Showcase for the first time in December 2021.
 
Brian made his debut for the Amsterdam Mohawks as their new PA Announcer for the 2019 season and has loved every minute of it, looking forward to see what the Mohawks have to offer this season!

................................................................................................................................................

 

Mojo... Mascot

A lifelong Mohawks fan, Mojo became the team's official mascot in 2006. It's unclear how old Mojo is or where he came from, because he won't tell anyone. In fact, he barely says anything at all. It is believed that Mojo lost his voice cheering for the Mohawks after they won the championship in 2003. Since then, he has enjoyed livening up Shuttleworth Park and loves the between inning games and dances.

In 2006, right before signing on with the Mohawks, Mojo tried out for the second season of Dancing With The Stars. The producers of the show felt that Mojo was "too famous" and his presence would be "unfair to the other stars." The show instead picked ESPN analyst Kenny Mayne, who performed a disastrous cha-cha and was the first contestant eliminated. Since then, Mojo has made it a point to perform the Cha-Cha Slide at every home game to show off his superior dancing skills. Mojo always invites the kids and players to join in the on-field dances to show that he can share the spotlight. Players like Ricky Breymier (Pittsburgh) in 2008 and Rich Vrana (Marist) in 2013 have come on and stolen the show, but Mojo loves enthusiasm and loves all the fans that attend the games.

If you see Mojo at a game or around the city, be sure to give him a high-five for good luck.
................................................................................................................................................
 
2023 Interns 
 

Sam Reis… 2023 Broadcaster

Sam is from Franklin, MA, where he graduated from Franklin High School in June 2022. Throughout his time in high school, he was heavily involved with the town's community cable access TV channel, Franklin TV, where he did play-by-play for his high school's sports games. Sam will be a sophomore in the fall at Syracuse University, where he is a Broadcast and Digital Journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. 
 
In college, Sam is a member of Citrus TV, WAER Sports, Z89 Sports, and more. This spring, he served as Citrus TV's Tennis Beat Reporter. Throughout Sam's freshman year, he also co-hosted a weekly sports talk show as part of "Newhouse at Night" on ESPN Radio Syracuse.
 
 
Evan Brenner... Media Intern
 
Evan is going into his junior year at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and is pursuing a degree in Sports Communications with minors in Business Administration and Global Studies. He hopes to work in the sports sector after he graduates. He grew up in Lake Placid, NY and participated in many sports including baseball and soccer and ran on the high school cross country and track teams. Evan is very excited to join the Mohawks staff and gain a multitude of experience in the baseball industry.
 
 

Isabella Cowan...Operations Intern 

Bella is currently a junior at Broadalbin Perth high school and plays soccer for her school and is involved with multiple clubs, which she enjoys very much. Bella is very excited to see what she can bring to the Mohawks and what this great opportunity will teach her. She is thrilled to be able to get this experience over the summer!

 
 
 
 
Carson Eagan... Operations Intern
 
Carson is a student at Galway High School and plays basketball, baseball and soccer for the school. He enjoys golfing with his friends in his free time.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jason Ellsworth... Analytics Intern
 
Jason is currently attending SUNY Oneonta studying Statistics. This is his second year interning with the Mohawks, and ready for another great year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jackson Flint... Operations Intern
 
Jackson is a student at Galway High School and is a memver of the baseball and basketball teams at the school.  He is currently in numerous honor and college classes.  He actively participates in Student Senate and a new member of the National honor Society.  He is hoping to pursue a degree in business, and specifically Sports and Entertainment. 
 
 
 
 
 
Nathan Graham... Operations Intern
 
Nate was born and raised in Westchester, NY but currently lives in North Carolina. He now attends Baylor University as a corporate communication major. Nate has dreamed of working in the sports industry and has always had a love for baseball. He is a big New York Mets fan and enjoys playing and watching almost any sport. He is very excited about the opportunity to work for the Mohawks and looks forward to learning and gaining great experience
 
 
 
 
Sean Holbrook... Operations Intern
 

Sean is from Amsterdam and currently attends Liberty University. He is pursuing a major in Sport Administration. Sean is a Red Sox fan and is looking forward to working with the Mohawks this summer!

 
 
 
 
Darren Napierski... Operations Intern
 
Darren is from Upper Saddle River, NJ and is a junior at SUNY Oneonta majoring in Sport Management. He started playing baseball when he was 9 and continued to play through his high school years. His favorite MLB team is the New York Mets. Darren is excited to be joining the Mohawks staff and learning about baseball from a perspective other than as a player.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nicholas Vennard... Operations Intern
Nicholas is from Albany, New York and graduated from South Colonie high school in 2018. He then moved on to achieve my associates degree in Exercise Science as well as my Coaching Certification from Hudson Valley community college. Currently, Nicholas is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in sports management and marketing from SUNY Oneonta. 
 
 
 
 
 
Eric Zelezniak... Operations Intern
Eric is currently a senior at Galway Jr/Sr high school. He plays baseball for the school as well as for a travel team over the summer. Eric is  committed to play baseball at SUNY Plattsburgh and was accepted into the Business Administration program. I am very excited to be back with the Mohawks this summer and gain even more experience.