Power announces new league, ownership for 2021

CHARLESTON, W.Va (February 24, 2021) – The West Virginia Power has joined the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), the club announced earlier today in a live-stream joint press conference with the City of Charleston and Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau. With this announcement, the Power is now an independently-run organization for the first time in franchise history. Additionally, the Power revealed that Andy Shea will take over as Managing Partner & CEO of the ballclub, while Jesse Scaglion has been named the club’s Chief Operating Officer. Tim Wilcox will stay on as a partner in the Power’s ownership group.

West Virginia joins their former South Atlantic League rival, the Lexington Legends, in migrating to the newly-christened MLB Partner League. The Power and Legends replace the Somerset Patriots and Sugar Land Skeeters, who moved to the Professional Development League landscape as a part of MLB’s new 120-team professional development system. The current eight-team ALPB slate has teams hailing from North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania.

Shea is the current President & CEO of the Lexington Legends, a position he will retain while also managing the Power. Since starting as a Ticket Sales Representative and parking attendant with the Legends in 2005, the Boston College graduate has worked tirelessly to build long-lasting and mutually-beneficial partnerships with many local and national organizations in the Lexington area, including the American Diabetes Association, American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, LexArts, March of Dimes and more. Shea previously served as the Legends’ General Manager from 2008 to 2011 before being promoted to President, and then CEO in 2015. Shea is a native of Philadelphia, Penn., and lives with his wife, Kristina, and son, Drew.

Scaglion has been with the Legends since 2015 as the team’s Director of Corporate Sales before earning his recent promotion to Chief Operating Officer in May of 2020. Hailing from New York City, he made his way to Lexington after a seven-year stint with the Binghamton Mets and Senators (AHL) as a Special Events Coordinator and Account Executive, respectively. Scaglion is also heavily involved with Habitat for Humanity and the American Cancer’s Society annual “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign.

“We are very excited about joining the Atlantic League and bringing a significantly higher level of talent to the field. Off the field, we are delighted to expand on the affordable family fun at Appalachian Power Park,” Power Managing Partner & CEO Andy Shea said. “The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is the premier MLB Partner League and we are sincerely grateful for the City of Charleston, State of West Virginia and Major League Baseball for helping make this happen. This day is truly great for professional baseball in Charleston.”

Established in 1998, the ALPB has seen nearly 1,000 players sign contracts with MLB organizations, with an average of 50-plus each season. In addition, more than 70 former players and coaches from the ALPB are now managers or coaches for MLB organizations. Besides providing top-tier talent on the field, the ALPB is focused on presenting family-friendly entertainment in state-of-the-art facilities. Over its 23-year history, more than 42 million fans have made their way through the gates of an ALPB ballpark. All stadiums are required to be maintained at a Triple-A standard or better.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Power to the Atlantic League and to play a part in the baseball heritage of a community that has passionately supported baseball,” Atlantic League President Rick White said. “We are privileged to play in West Virginia’s capital city and congratulate the Power organization and all their fans. We look forward to the competitive play the Power will bring to the Atlantic League.”

The ALPB has also become a partner of Major League Baseball, testing new rules and equipment they may implement in the future. For example, all ALPB games include a time limit between innings to speed up the pace of play. The league has also altered rules regarding mound visits, pickoff attempts, check swings, allowing a batter to steal first base, and more, so fans are guaranteed to see some unique events on a nightly basis at Appalachian Power Park.

“We explored many options after we did not receive an affiliate invitation to remain a part of affiliated Minor League Baseball. It was pretty clear from the start that the ALPB was the best choice for us,” Power General Manager Jeremy Taylor said. “We can still provide our fans with incredible baseball on the field, as well as creative and innovative promotions throughout the evening. The 2021 season will be different, but we are excited about this new chapter of Power baseball. We are forever grateful to Governor Jim Justice, Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, every member of the West Virginia Legislature and Charleston City Council, U.S. Representatives David McKinley and Carol Miller, the City of Charleston and the Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau for all of their efforts to preserve professional baseball in The Capital City.”

“I am thrilled that baseball will rightfully be back in Charleston,” Senator Capito said. “America’s pastime is West Virginia’s too, and everyone who played a part in ensuring the team remained a part of our community here should be commended and congratulated. I’m looking forward to taking in some Atlantic League action in person this summer!”

The 2021 Power season is slated to begin on Friday, May 28. A full schedule, list of promotions, ticket information and COVID-19 regulations will be released at a later date.

For more information, please visit www.wvpower.com.