Staff

Scott Brand

President/General Manager

What can we say about Scott Brand that he hasn’t already said about himself? Brand is a product of amateur hockey having played youth hockey in Michigan, Iowa, Texas, and Illinois.

After leaving the ice, he held the position of Vice-President and General Manager of the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League from 1992-96 where he guided the team to set record crowds, corporate sponsorship and the building of a new arena. He also founded the Waterloo Bucks, the 1st expansion team in the Northwoods College Baseball League in 1995 and was named executive of the year. In May of 1996, he was named the Vice-President of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, where he increased attendance for two seasons in a row.

In 2015 Brand returned home to his family farm in St. Louis, MI, where he helped start a local farmers market and was named Vice President of Operations for Pure Pro Wrestling, a Michigan based sports entertainment promotion.

In June of 2019, he was hired as to the position of President/General Manager of the Columbus River Dragons and in 2020 was hired into the same title with the Columbus Chatt-a-Hoots

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Shannon Rutledge

VP of Ticketing Operations

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Shannon was born and raised in Chicago, IL and earned her B.A. in marketing from Aurora University. Her free time is spent exploring the Columbus area with her two dogs, and putting her creative brain to work renovating a 90s Winnebago motor home.

Shannon has lived in multiple states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Mississippi, Florida, and now Georgia by way of her husband’s hockey career. She has a love for sports and is excited to be a part of the Chatt-a-Hoots team!

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Steve Smith

Head of Baseball Operations/Field Manager/Playing Manager

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Steve Smith is the man responsible for the current upward direction of the Calvary Christian baseball program in Columbus. From when he took over to the present day Smith has led Calvary to State championships in 2018 and 2019 and has been named GICAA coach of the year in those years as well.

Smith is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association as well as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has presented at multiple coaching clinics with systems on creating a championship culture and building/developing successful athletic programs.

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Rodney Rutherford

Assistant Coach

Rodney is serving as an assistant coach in the Hoots inaugural 2021 season.

Rutherford's local baseball roots stem back to 2003 when he was drafted as a senior out of Shaw High School in the 36th round to the Florida Marlins. He forewent that opportunity to play college baseball at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and then later at Columbus State.

With the Cougars he was a two-time All-Conference player and a 2008 All-American. In 2008, he led the NCAA D-2 ranks with 26 home runs. While in college he was drafted in the 20th round by the Oakland A's where he spent two season in the minors before retiring from baseball as a player all together.

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McLendon Hill

Assistant Coach

McLendon Hill graduated from Columbus High School in 2010, where he played baseball for four years. He then attended Georgia Perimeter College for two years where he was an NJCAA Georgia Gold Glove winner and Second-Team NJCAA Georgia All-Conference. He is currently an assistant baseball coach at Columbus High, and plans to graduate this fall from Columbus State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.

Chason Perry

Director of Strength & Conditioning

With a Bachelors in Exercise Science and a Masters in Athletic Coaching with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning, Coach Perry brings a wealth of knowledge to the Chatt-a-Hoots.

He has over 12 years experience coaching at every level with every type of athlete imaginable. Coach Perry has worked as an Assistant or Head Coach capacity with the Atlanta Thrashers (NHL), West Virginia University Athletics, Morgantown High School, US Army Infantry OSUT Brigade, and over 5 years with a US Special Forces unit where he built the entire program for Operators at Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield, and Joint-Base Lewis McChord.

He also owned and developed the largest youth training center in Cincinnati, OH prior to moving to Columbus, GA in 2011.

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Diego Wilson

VP of Corporate Partnerships

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Diego moved down to Columbus, from Lansing, Michigan where he grew up playing hockey. His career took him all across the country from Junior hockey in Richmond, Virginia to Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. It has also allowed him the opportunity to earn his B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. His continued love for sports has led him to Columbus where he handles Corporate Partnerships for your Chatt-a-Hoots.

Diego is the youngest of four with two older brothers, Tony & Michael, and one older sister Kristal. He is also the proud Uncle of his niece Raquel.

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Taylor Blackwell

VP of Game Night/Event Operations

Taylor was born and raised right here in Columbus, but her career in baseball started at her alma mater, Georgia College, as the Media Director for the athletic department. Her career with summer collegiate baseball organizations in marketing, promotions and entertainment has taken her to several states, which is how she found her way to Ignite Sports.

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Zak DeBeaussaert

VP of Communications/Play-By-Play Announcer

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Prior to working for Ignite Sports, Zak was a traffic reporter, producer and play-by-play man for local radio in Lansing, Michigan. He got his start doing play-by-play back in college and the fire has stayed with him ever since. He is a graduate of Grand Valley State University and is a native of Shelby Twp., MI.

Taylor St. Jacques

Community Relations Manager

Born in Edmonton and raised stateside in Glen Allen, VA, Taylor is a senior at Auburn University majoring in Business Administration with a focus in management.

When not in school or with Ignite Sports, Taylor is a world-class show jumper with the Auburn Equestrian team and has won 3 SEC titles and 2 national titles with the Tigers.

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Jamie Udet

Social Marketing Manager

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Jamie is a New Jersey native who grew up in Myrtle Beach, SC. She enlisted in the Army Reserves after high school and moved to Alabama to attend Auburn University. She graduated in December 2020 with a Bachelor's in Communication and Business. Before joining Ignite Sports, she was the Marketing Director for Workout Anytime Opelika and the Marketing Assistant for Fort Benning Harley Davidson.