The Futures League

Arend

WEYMOUTH, Mass. (December 22, 2020) -- The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) has appointed Nashua Silver Knights Assistant General Manager Katie Arend as its first-ever Director of Student-Athlete Development & Alumni Engagement.

Commissioner Joe Paolucci made the announcement on Tuesday.

“Katie’s education and experience make her a perfect fit for this role,” Paolucci said. “Student-athlete development is just another way that we can help service our players. While some will go on to professional baseball careers, most will become professionals in something else. We want to help them be as prepared as possible for that. Katie is the right person to lead this initiative and make this program something special for the league.”

The 2021 season will mark Arend’s second season in her current role with the Silver Knights after serving as the Operations Assistant in 2019. Alongside General Manager Cam Cook, Arend helped Nashua earn FCBL Organization of the Year honors for the second time in its history at the end of their 2020 championship run.

As part of her role with the FCBL as a whole, Arend will coordinate the launch of The Diamond Program which will help to develop the league’s student-athletes for their futures beyond the game of baseball. The program will focus on the areas of community engagement, professional development, and a leadership and mentoring program involving former FCBL players.

“I am excited for this new opportunity with the league and I can't thank Commissioner Paolucci enough for the chance to lead this program,” Arend said. “We look forward to connecting Futures League alumni while helping to develop current players into well-rounded individuals for successful careers beyond the FCBL.”

More information on The Diamond Program and its future events will be released in 2021. In the meantime, current and former FCBL players are encouraged to follow the league’s revamped LinkedIn page. A Player Alumni group has also been created.

Arend successfully coordinated the first-ever FCBL Golf Tournament & Hall of Fame Dinner this past October at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Mass. The Newfields, N.H., native has been involved with the FCBL since its inception, serving as a host family for multiple players in the former Seacoast Mavericks organization in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Arend holds a Master of Science in Sport Management from Florida State University and was a Division 1 swimmer at the University of Vermont, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in business administration with minors in coaching and special education. She worked in Vermont’s Student-Athlete Success Center and Victory Club during her undergraduate career. In addition to teaching undergraduate courses at Florida State, she was also the Sport Management Conference Coordinator.