Modesto Nuts General Manager Veronica Hernandez
By: Carly Russell
Meet Veronica Hernandez, the trail-blazing General Manager of the Modesto Nuts, who made history as the first Latina to ever hold this prestigious position in Minor League Baseball and the first woman to manage the Nuts. It’s a long journey from her small hometown in Connecticut, where Veronica, as a first-generation American, fell in love with sports during third-grade recess. Her passion for sports marketing was ignited in high school, and she pursued it further by earning a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Ithaca College.
Baseball wasn’t originally in her career plan, but destiny had other ideas. Veronica overcame numerous challenges, including juggling multiple jobs to pay off student loans and taking unpaid internships to gain invaluable experience. Her relentless determination and unwavering commitment to her career bore fruit when she landed an internship with the Hudson Valley Renegades, a minor-league baseball team. This marked the beginning of her baseball career, with subsequent roles at the Arkansas Travelers, Lancaster JetHawks, and ultimately the Modesto Nuts. Today, she is living her dream of heading a Marketing Department for a sports team.
ModestoView: Have you always been passionate about baseball?
Veronica Hernandez: Funny enough, I never considered baseball as a potential career until a couple of years after graduation. It is not that I didn’t want to work in the league, it’s just when I was a fresh graduate looking for jobs, baseball wasn’t the primary league posting their job openings. It was all the fall sports.
MV: Can you tell us about your journey and how you became the General Manager of the Modesto Nuts?
VH: Reflecting on my days as a graduating senior, I recall finding a full-time job (specifically in sports) was HARD. In my first three years of college, I put in so much “internship time” in many different organizations. Going into the Winter of my senior year I started to apply for jobs (my goal was to have a job and start in June), I thought my resume experience was solid. From winter to early spring, I must have applied to hundreds of positions, but I didn’t receive ONE call back. Finally, midway into my Spring semester, I received a call from the NBA – I finally landed an interview. That call will be ingrained in my memory forever. At the end of the interview, I asked a question – what can I do to make my resume better and increase potential interviews? The answer: “I am surprised you got this far without knowing anyone”. That one call was the only one I received for seven months. During my graduating summer, I decided to take an unpaid internship with Cornell University’s Football Program, surely this would open some doors; it didn’t. I returned to my hometown, defeated. At that time, I decided if I couldn’t find a job in the industry I wanted, I might as well spend the next few months tackling my student loans. So that was what I set out to do, I took on about four jobs, working over 100 hours a week. I did that for about 1.5 – 2 years and completed my target goal – paying off my student loans. With my heart still focused on the sports industry, I returned to the application pool. Again, I was receiving ZERO calls. I looked into a Master’s Program, spoke to alumni, and even asked the alumni “How can I improve my resume?” Their answer, get back into it, intern (unpaid), and get more sports team experience. It is all about the “right time”, I took that advice around February, prime baseball hiring season. All the job openings were in baseball. So I humbled myself back to an unpaid intern. Started off in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, with the Danbury Westerners.
I see my career journey as a “snowball effect”. From the Westerners, my work ethic opened the doors for me in minor league baseball; through networking, I received an opportunity to intern for the Hudson Valley Renegades, at the time Short Season for the Tampa Bay Rays. After that internship, my resume was finally strong enough to pop out during full-time job applications. Through networking and a strong resume, I received over a dozen job offers to continue a career working in the minor leagues. My next steps led me to work for the Arkansas Travelers, Lancaster JetHawks, and now the Modesto Nuts. Each opportunity provided me with an advancement in my career. With the Nuts, I landed my dream job – running my own Marketing Department for a Sports team. My work ethic never changed, I always put my head down and work hard. This allowed new doors to open (opportunities I never considered for my career), an offer to be Assistant General Manager and then General Manager.
MV: As the first Latina Woman in your position, how do you think your experience varies from others who have previously fulfilled your role?
VH: Everyone has their story and many journeys are hard and an uphill battle. That is especially true coming from a Latina working in a man’s world (baseball). But what I bring to the table is different from most, not only can I speak the language and engage with our local Latino community but also communicate with the players. The lessons I have learned from my journey helped with some situations that have arisen for our organization. Being who I am has helped me improve different aspects of our business.
MV: Can you share any memorable moments or achievements that you are particularly proud of during your time with the Modesto Nuts?
VH: I am very honored to have won local awards in our community. But the ones won with my team are special, 2022 Modesto Chamber Member of the Year and of course the 2023 California League Championship. My team puts in a lot of hours and hard work, we all have a passion for making this community better. Being able to celebrate these moments with them is something very special.
MV: What strategies or initiatives have you implemented to enhance the fan experience and engagement with the Modesto Nuts?
VH: Preparing for 2023, I learned that community is what “works”. Creating the strategy to make our ballpark inclusive to support local organizations will not only help the Nuts but the overall community. Every year we try to partner more and more with local organizations to expand this thought process. Fan experience is led by those in guest experience, from ushers to concessions staff and all the above. It starts with hiring the right people, those who are passionate about what they do and give it their all. But the front office knows what is important and how we hold everyone accountable. I and everyone else in the front office read every one of our internal game day surveys and; most of the time took ideas and implemented them immediately.
MV: How do you work with the team’s coaching staff and players to ensure success both on and off the field?
VH: Zach Vinceji (2023 & 2024 Manager) and I work hand in hand, through transparency and urgency. Anything he might need for player operations; we are here to help him. On the other hand, he always jumps at the opportunity to see how he and the team can be more impactful in the community. The players are fully engaged, not only signing autographs before and after a game but also making some memorable experiences for fans throughout the season.
MV: In your opinion, what sets the Modesto Nuts apart from other minor league baseball teams?
VH: Many teams have a focus on their community, but our recent approach of theming out some promotional nights to be community-based is a different approach. Our range keeps growing but this year we have:
– Reading Program – An educational program of ours incentivizing local youth to read
– Health and Wellness Program – focusing on mental health, physical health, and cleanliness
– High School Program – focusing on attendance, graduation rates, and future planning
– Ticket Fundraiser, working with several local organizations
– Together Tuesdays – Donate (2) items and receive a FREE ticket
– Bark in the Park: A recurring dog day for each Thursday home game
– Silver Sluggers – A discounted program for those 55+ and older
– PHAST Friday – Local students will share presentations on Tobacco prevention
– Breast Cancer Awareness, with a silent auction at the end of the season to support breast cancer research
– Carros Locos – Bringing our Latino culture to intertwine with our Graffiti Culture.
– Latino Nights (Los Alebrijes de Modesto), with a silent auction at the end of the season to support youth scholarships
– First Responders Night
– Child Safety Night
– Home Run for Homeless
– Developmental Disabilities Awareness Night
We are open to many more! We like to create the approach that baseball is a platform to help inform or support a local group.
MV: How do you collaborate with the local community and businesses to strengthen the team’s presence in Modesto?
VH: We are open to discussing this with any local organization! Ideas are all about creativity and there are a lot of creative people in our local community. The more we support our community, the more the community supports our team!
MV: What advice would you give to aspiring individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in sports management?
VH: It is an uphill battle, take on the work. Sometimes it is hard to understand how to set yourself apart, but it is fairly easy. Do the job well, but go above and beyond for the team. The little things matter and they are what set you apart.
MV: Looking forward, what are your goals and aspirations for the Modesto Nuts in the coming years?
VH: I would love to see this community thrive and the Nuts to be able to grow alongside the community.
MV: Do you have any advice for those looking to break into a career in sports management?
VH: Make sure your internship has future opportunities for you. If you do a good job there, make it almost impossible for them to let you go. Entering the sports industry can be difficult and sometimes eating humble pie is how to get you to the next level.
