by Rylie Kalb, senior agricultural and environmental sciences communication major from Wataga, Illinois
Ryan Schreurs always knew he loved sports, but he never expected to attend 50 home baseball games in Lincoln. This summer, Schreurs had the opportunity to intern with a local sports team—the Lincoln Saltdogs.
Schreurs is a senior broadcasting student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications from Milbank, South Dakota. He was looking for an internship in sports to gain some experience in sports communication.
Schreurs discovered that the Lincoln Saltdogs, a team in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball was hiring interns for the summer. The application deadline had passed when he found out about the opportunity, but he emailed his application and cover letter to the team anyway. Within two weeks, he was hired as their social media intern.
As the Saltdogs social media intern, Schreurs actively monitored the Salt Dogs’ Facebook and Twitter pages and promoted what was going on during the baseball games. He also created videos highlighting the staff of Haymarket Park and compiled nearly 1,000 images during his experience to showcase his photography skills.
Schreurs said he enjoyed learning about the Saltdogs brand and how to explain the brand through social media.
“Social media is a really cool thing because you get to show off your brand and interact with fans in the community,” Schreurs said.
According to Schreurs, the Lincoln Saltdogs has a unique, philanthropic, community-based brand. The baseball team showcases the Lincoln community through their events. The Saltdogs hosted visitors from the Children’s Museum and Lincoln Children’s Zoo to the ballpark and even hosted Larry the Cable Guy. The Saltdogs prioritize making fun for the whole family as part of their ongoing mission to support Lincoln.
Not only did Schreurs learn a lot from the Lincoln Saltdogs, he learned alongside other interns from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and surrounding universities. Trevor McDiffett, a senior advertising and public relations student from Central City, Nebraska, also commented on how fun it was to work with other interns.
“I loved working with everyone at the ballpark—especially the interns,” McDiffett said. “I didn’t know any of them going in[to the internship], and I walked out with 15 new friends after the summer.”
Schreurs learned alongside the interns at the ballpark, but he credits the CoJMC for preparing him for his internship with the Lincoln Saltdogs.
“I am really grateful that the journalism school here at Nebraska really focuses on helping students go where they want to,” Schreurs said. “I know that the professors are always here to help.”
As graduation in May grows closer, Schreurs has put a lot of thought into his future career. While he does not foresee himself working on the baseball diamond, he knows he belongs in sports. He dreams of working for a hockey or football team. Wherever he ends up, Schreurs knows that he will always cherish his summer with the Lincoln Saltdogs.
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