In less than a week, sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management major Casey McGaw had 10 job interviews with Minor League Baseball teams.

McGaw was one of six Point Park students invited to attend the 2015 Baseball Winter Meetings Jobs Forum from Dec. 6-9 in Nashville, Tenn.

“When I heard about these meetings, everybody who talked about them said that if I really want to work in baseball, this is the best possible place I could go,” McGaw said.

The Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing had interested students from any major complete applications and attach their resumes for a chance at attending the forum.

Out of those applicants, ten students were interviewed by a panel of members from the Center for Sports Media and Marketing and other University officials before the six students were chosen.

Point Park Graduate Assistant Kelsey Veydt was put in charge of planning the trip, as well as teaching a seven week prep-class where the students prepared for interviews, revamped their portfolios and made business cards and websites.

“The Winter Meetings are held every year where representatives from the major and minor leagues come together to talk about the upcoming season,” Veydt said. “They also have a job fair where there are around 500 job postings, and that’s what the students go for.”

The forum provides students with the opportunity to be interviewed for both internship and entry-level positions within a minor or Major League Baseball team.

“From 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. the students attend a workshop on the first day where they learn all about the business side of baseball,” Veydt said. “The rest of the trip, every half hour they have interview postings. Students have to keep track of the positions they apply for to see if they are chosen for an interview.”

McGaw described the whole experience as exhausting, but credits it with helping to get her foot in the door to the business. She landed a ticketing internship with the Tri-City ValleyCats, a single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

“Honestly, my favorite part was the people I was able to meet,” McGaw said. “Yeah, you can apply for these jobs online and talk over email, but here I got to sit with these employers face-to-face and make connections that way.”

This is the second year Point Park students were able to attend the Baseball Winter Meetings Jobs Forum. Last year, two students were hired as interns by Minor League Baseball teams.

“If our students continue to be successful and land jobs at these forums, we will continue to take them there,” Veydt said.

Senior broadcast reporting major Zach Aaron credits the forum with giving him the opportunity to make connections and network with representatives from many different teams and organizations.

Similar to McGaw, Aaron attended 11 interviews during his time at the forum. His interview with the West Virginia Power led him to a production internship with the Pittsburgh Pirates Class-A affiliate.

“It was one of the craziest experiences of my life and it was incredibly rewarding,” Aaron said. “I’ve interned with two Minor League Baseball teams already, so it was nice to see those people again but in a more casual setting. And I was able to get a lot of good advice there for my career path.”

While McGaw and Aaron are still waiting to hear back about the status of their interviews, they have already started recommending their experience to friends interested in the business.

“If you’re interested in working in baseball and you know all the requirements it takes to work that job, like the long hours, I would absolutely say to attend this forum,” Aaron said.