NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Niagara Power brings new meaning to the term “summer collegiate baseball.” While college-eligible players take the field, college students are the ones running the concession stands, public address, and ticket sales.
“The classroom experience, and then the game experience,” Niagara University professor Patrick Tutka said. “It’s an opportunity for our students to really set themselves apart.”
Tutka teaches in Niagara’s School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Sport. After a semester in the classroom, his students have a chance to spend the summer working at the ballpark for the Power.
“I never thought that I was going to be running a baseball team over the summer,” rising senior Justina Conti said. “So, it’s pretty amazing.”
Conti and the rest of the Power’s staff come in hours before every home game to make preparations that make the fan and player experience the best that it can be.
“You expect there to be an announcer, you expect there to be music, you expect everything to run really smoothly,” rising junior Claire Wanzer said. “Understanding that expectation, and now being on the other side of it, I want to give that back."
The Power’s last home game of the regular season is on Wednesday, July 17th.
