By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
ASHWAUBENON – The Green Bay Booyah, members of the Northwoods League, will have a new field manager for the 2021 season.
The team recently announced Tristan Toorie will take over for the departed Tom Carty.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity,” said Toorie from his home in South Carolina. “The Northwoods League is one of the best leagues in the country, and it’ll be fun to be out there with the players.”
Booyah Vice President/General Manager John Fanta said he’s also excited to have Toorie.
“Tristan’s familiarity with the Northwoods League, his recruiting experience, proven track record and work ethic will be invaluable to our organization as we head into a new year,” he said.
The Booyah will be entering their third season at Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.
“I’ve never seen the stadium, but I’ve been scouring the internet looking for pictures,” Toorie said. “I can’t wait to get to Green Bay and check things out.”
Toorie said he’ll most likely not see the stadium in-person until sometime in May.
“I’ll be getting married in January, and we’d like to do our honeymoon in early May,” he said. “I’ll get up there as soon as I can after that.”
Toorie is currently the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Anderson University, which competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the South Atlantic Conference.
Before joining the Anderson coaching staff, Toorie spent numerous seasons working at Division I programs Alcorn State and Eastern Kentucky.
Through his seven-year coaching career, he’s coached 34 student-athletes who have gone on to professional baseball.
Before entering the collegiate ranks, Toorie spent two seasons with the Augusta Green Jackets, the Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
Toorie, a graduate of Augusta State, began his coaching career with the St. Cloud Rox in the Northwoods League, where he served as an assistant coach over multiple seasons.
“When I was a coach with St. Cloud, we played at Joannes Stadium against the (Green Bay) Bullfrogs,” Toorie said. “It was around the Fourth of July, and we either had an off day or an early game, so we took some of the guys to Lambeau Field for a tour. It’s crazy to think things have come full circle. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to come back to Green Bay – it’s a cool city.”
Toorie said he’s already starting working on the roster.
“John (Fanta) and I have been discussing the roster,” he said. “I’ve got lots of coaching contacts and friends in baseball. We have a good mix of guys so far. Once the college season starts next spring, we’ll have a better idea.”
The Booyah made the playoffs this past season, which was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 documented in Brown County during the time the team played last summer, not one case was traced back to Capital Credit Union Park.
“I’m looking forward to a full season,” said Toorie. “Our college season was also cut short last spring, so it’s been a while since we’ve been on the field in competitive games.”
Joining Toorie in the dugout will be hitting coach Billy Henley, pitching coach Connor Kelly and assistant coach Dylan Southerland.