La Crosse, Wis. - Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student-athlete Seth Feldman has been named the manager of the Minnesota Twins Dominican Summer League team, the organization has announced.  Feldman, who earned his bachelor's degree in sport management from UWL in 2016, travels to Fort Myers, Florida this week for the start of the Twins' spring training.   

The Minnesota Twins Academy is located in Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic.  Feldman will live on the complex along with the other coaches and players.  "My responsibilities include managing and overseeing the development of the young men that come through our academy," said Feldman.  "My job is to provide guidance and leadership as everyone on the staff works together to prepare the players to be successful professionals.  I will be setting the daily schedule for the team and collaborating with our staff to design the best plan possible for our players," added Feldman.  "Our academy is designed to prepare the players to have success on the baseball field and in life.  I am part of a group effort to develop the players and give them the keys to be successful for the duration of their careers." 

The Twins reached out to Feldman about his interest in the position, which lead to multiple interviews before being hired.  "It was a whirlwind, honestly," said Feldman.  "It happened very quickly, within a couple of weeks. Believe it or not, the Twins initially reached out to me on Twitter."

He said he can't wait to get started.  "I am beyond excited for this opportunity," added Feldman.  "In the short amount of time since I've been hired, I have already met a lot of great people in the Twins organization.  The culture within the organization is tremendous and I'm excited to be a part of it. I have a lot to learn and I have a lot of work ahead of me and I am well aware of it.  This is all going to be a process and I'm going to have to continually work to learn and grow every single day."   

A native of Platteville, Wisconsin, Feldman earned four letters in baseball at UWL while serving as a catcher.  He played in 58 games for the Eagles, including 37 starts. Feldman hit .327 in 2016 and was named to the All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Sportsmanship Team. UWL finished 39-10 overall and 18-2 in the WIAC in 2016 as the Eagles swept the regular-season and league tournament titles.  UWL captured its second straight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Midwest Regional title in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships in Appleton, Wisconsin for the second consecutive season. 

Feldman played in 17 games in 2015 as UWL won the NCAA III Midwest Regional crown and finished runner-up at the NCAA III Championships to SUNY-Cortland. The Eagles earned an NCAA III Regional bid in 2014 as Feldman appeared in 14 games with 14 starts and hit .364. 

Feldman said he was fully aware that his playing career was over after UWL's final game in 2016, but he knew he wanted to get into coaching.  "A coaching career in professional baseball is something I have always thought about.  I want to learn from the best and I want to play a part in developing great players, so of course I have always wanted to be at the highest level.  To be honest, I had no idea the opportunity would come so soon.  But I'll take this challenge head on and learn as much as possible every step of the way."  

UWL went 122-65 overall and 61-29 in Feldman's four years. After finishing his playing career, Feldman served as an assistant coach for the Eagles during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. 

"I cannot put into words what Coach (Chris) Schwarz, Coach (Scott) Gillitzer, Coach (Joe) Mohr, and Coach (Matt) Zieba have done for me," said Feldman.  "These men took care of me as a player and as a young coach and have played a huge part in shaping me into the coach and person I am today.  My time at UWL is something I will forever cherish.  There is no place like UWL, we are a family.  We care about each other, we push each other, and we look out for each other."

"This is such a great opportunity for Seth," said Schwarz.  "We are so proud of him, and his growth over the past few years.  He has definitely put himself in a great position to be ready for this." 

Feldman said Schwarz and UWL baseball taught him the importance of living in the present moment.  "We have to learn from the past, prepare for the future, but live in the moment and demand the best of ourselves now," added Feldman.  "There are not many things we are able to control in the game of baseball and in life, so we have to make sure we control what we are able to: attitude, effort, and being a great teammate." 

"Seth has been an unbelievable asset to our program as an assistant coach," added Schwarz.  "He always brought great energy, worked hard to be extremely prepared every day, and most importantly deeply cared about the players he worked with.  He will be missed. With all of my heart, we wish Seth the best of luck as enters a new chapter in his life."

"It has never been about wins and records at UWL, it has always been about relationships," said Feldman.  "That's what I will take with me for the rest of my coaching career and the rest of my life.  As a coach, you get the opportunity to have a huge impact on the lives of the players you work with.  Coach Schwarz really showed me the magnitude of that responsibility.

"I want to thank Coach Schwarz, the entire coaching staff, all of my former teammates, and all of the players I have served for everything you have all done for me.  I would not be who I am today without you.  THANK YOU!"