Longtime Lake Highlands football fans hear the name Jacob Andrews and think football. Jacob played quarterback for the Wildcats and graduated in 2008.
Jacob is now an alum of Texas A&M, and he’s ready for you to associate him with another sport – baseball. In fact, he’s hoping you’ll come out to Lafayette, Louisiana and check out his team – he’s the new General Manager.
Jacob’s Acadiana Cane Cutters are part of the Texas Collegiate League, traveling around by bus to face opponents like the Brazos Valley Bombers, the East Texas Pump Jacks and the McKinney Marshals. They draw crowds to their games at Fabacher Field with promotions like Bounce House Tuesdays, Ladies Night Margarita Wednesdays and Fireworks Fridays.
Considering that the ink still isn’t dry on his Aggie diploma, I was impressed that Jacob earned the GM job.
“Basically,” he told me humbly, “instead of playing sports, I paid my dues as a four-year, very-unpaid intern.”
While earning a Sports Management degree, Jacob did a baseball operations internship for the Frisco RoughRiders, an assistant general manager internship with the Brazos Valley Bombers, a corporate sales internship with Texas A&M and a marketing internship with the Houston Dynamo soccer team.
Now, I figured, his life must be a lot like that of Billy Beane/Brad Pitt in the popular movie, Moneyball.
“My job differs quite a bit from what a top-tier, professional sports GM does,” Jacob said. “Whereas MLB GMs construct rosters to compete for titles, GMs at the Triple-A level and down have different job descriptions. My task is to make Acadiana Cane Cutters Baseball the place to be in Southwest Louisiana.”
Jacob handles corporate sponsorship, marketing, ticket sales, human resources, web development, media relations and event planning.
“I am here to make sure the production of our events has a lasting impact that results in interest, excitement, and buzz. My biggest challenge is to have the team be adopted and engrained into the fabric of Lafayette.”
When he gets a chance, Jacob returns to LH to visit his parents, Richard and Lisa, and his sister, Deborah.
“Lake Highlands is home, and I miss seeing my family and friends. I enjoy jetting out to Ranger games during the summer, throwing the football at the B Field on a free afternoon, eating at Jake’s, and going to church at LHUMC. This experience is good for me, though, and I am blessed to have an unfolding adventure with much love and support from back home.”
