Pulaski Mariners manager resigns after three years

Abby Lyman has spent the past three years working with the Pulaski Mariners and served as the team's general manager in 2012. Photo courtesy of the Pulaski Mariners

After three years in Pulaski, Abby Lyman has decided to step down as the Pulaski Mariners’ general manager in an effort to move closer to home.

Lyman, a native of Highland, Utah, first came to the Mariners as a media relations intern in 2010. Following the completion of her internship and her degree in public relations from Brigham Young University, Lyman was promoted to assistant general manager for the 2011 season and then took over the reins as the club’s general manager in 2012, becoming the club’s first and only full-time employee.

The 28-year-old said Wednesday she was excited about the prospect of moving closer to her immediate family, all of whom currently reside in and around Highland, but she admitted leaving her home of three years was bittersweet.

“It’s been so great, though,” she said. “I can’t even say enough about what a fantastic opportunity it’s been.”

It was an opportunity Pulaski Baseball Inc. co-owner Wayne Carpenter said he was shocked Lyman was interested in when she applied for her 2010 internship.

“We knew she had talent, and we were hoping she’d stay two or three years so we could get some real good work out of her,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter and fellow owners Rick Mansell and Tom Compton got what they wished for, and during her time with the Mariners, Lyman more than met the group’s expectations.

“She’s been a dream,” Mansell said.

Mansell said Lyman made great strides for the team in terms of marketing, as well as being a great ambassador for the sport to the people of Pulaski and the surrounding communities.

“The rapport she’s developed with the community has been special not only for herself, but for baseball in general,” Mansell said.

That strong tie to the community is something Lyman said she was most proud of developing during her time with the team.

From working with nonprofits to inviting the Pulaski County High School marching band to perform, Lyman said she believes that type of community involvement truly enhances the fan’s experience at the ballpark.

Lyman is also proud of being one of the small number of women working in leadership roles in minor league baseball, which she currently estimated at seven or eight.

Lyman said that despite the sport’s reputation as being a male-dominated arena, her experience at the helm in Pulaski was extremely positive.

“I can’t say I’ve ever felt discriminated against in baseball, especially within the [Appalachian] league,” Lyman said.
That response is an encouraging one since all signs point to Lyman’s intent to continue working in the area of sports management. She even said she already has interviews lined up with a few teams close to her hometown.

Though he’s disappointed to see her go, count Mansell among those very confident about Lyman’s future career prospects.

“We’re going to miss her, but she needs to move up, she needs to grow, and we understand that. Her potential is really unlimited,” Mansell said.

At this time, Carpenter and Mansell both said they have no immediate plans to fill the vacant position and would likely use the minor league winter meetings in December as a time to look at candidates.

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