Thrower Thriving in Post Collegiate Career with Chicago Cubs
7/28/2017 9:53:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana volleyball alum Samantha Thrower grew up in Sycamore, Illinois.
Little did she know growing up as a Chicago Cubs fan, that she would one day work for the organization and be in the ballpark to see the team win the 2016 World Series.
Thrower, who first played basketball and did gymnastics came to Indiana to play volleyball. Thrower played on the 2010 team that made the Sweet 16 and graduated from Indiana in 2013 with a degree in Communication and Culture.
Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do after college, Thrower completed a marketing internship in Bloomington.
From there she secured a position as part of an 18-month sales development program with the Chicago Cubs. Being back home and part of a brand like the Cubs excited her.
"My grandfather is a big Cubs fan and he was one of the first people I called when I got the job," Thrower said.
Thrower advanced to a position in group sales as she organized ticket sales for schools, companies and other groups. From there she moved to the business development team, selling season tickets, group tickets and rooftop tickets for postseason games.
For the games in Cleveland during the 2016 World Series, the ownership of the Cubs, the Ricketts family, paid all expenses for Cubs staff to attend the games, with a guest.
"I got to take my mom and dad for the trips in Cleveland," Thrower said. "My dad got to see the Cubs win it in Game 7, which was awesome."
Thrower still thinks about her time at IU often and keeps in regular contact with teammates and friends she met in Bloomington.
"One of my favorite memories was our run to the Sweet 16 in 2010," Thrower said. "I was lucky to have the opportunity to play at Indiana and my entire career and experience as a student-athlete was amazing."
As a junior middle blocker at IU, Thrower set a school record and tied a national record when she went a perfect 15 kills on 15 swings in a win over Buffalo.
Thrower still plays in volleyball leagues in the Chicago area and enjoys spending time outdoors and camping.
Thrower has had exciting changes in her life recently. This spring she was engaged to Justin Pagan, who played football at IU.
Thrower recently started a new position with the Cubs, Major Event Coordinator. In this new role, Thrower will manage event staff such as ushers and ticket takers and also work concerts that come to Wrigley Field.
Last month Thrower worked her first concert, June 29 when Tom Petty came to town. Other concerts this summer include Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel and the first female artist to headline at Wrigley Field, Lady Gaga.
In addition to her memories from Indiana, Thrower reflects on the lessons she learned at IU, that she carries with her in her career today.
"I think balancing your schedule is something this is really important.," Thrower said. "Taking classes every day, having practice, having games, conditioning, having to balance your schedule and multitasking takes practice. It is a lot of responsibility when you have to plan for yourself and don't have people setting a schedule for you."
"I think the discipline you get playing on a team carries over and has a lot of positives," she added. "People like to hire student-athletes because they have that discipline and teamwork experience and are highly motivated."
Little did she know growing up as a Chicago Cubs fan, that she would one day work for the organization and be in the ballpark to see the team win the 2016 World Series.
Thrower, who first played basketball and did gymnastics came to Indiana to play volleyball. Thrower played on the 2010 team that made the Sweet 16 and graduated from Indiana in 2013 with a degree in Communication and Culture.
Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do after college, Thrower completed a marketing internship in Bloomington.
From there she secured a position as part of an 18-month sales development program with the Chicago Cubs. Being back home and part of a brand like the Cubs excited her.
"My grandfather is a big Cubs fan and he was one of the first people I called when I got the job," Thrower said.
Thrower advanced to a position in group sales as she organized ticket sales for schools, companies and other groups. From there she moved to the business development team, selling season tickets, group tickets and rooftop tickets for postseason games.
For the games in Cleveland during the 2016 World Series, the ownership of the Cubs, the Ricketts family, paid all expenses for Cubs staff to attend the games, with a guest.
"I got to take my mom and dad for the trips in Cleveland," Thrower said. "My dad got to see the Cubs win it in Game 7, which was awesome."
Thrower still thinks about her time at IU often and keeps in regular contact with teammates and friends she met in Bloomington.
"One of my favorite memories was our run to the Sweet 16 in 2010," Thrower said. "I was lucky to have the opportunity to play at Indiana and my entire career and experience as a student-athlete was amazing."
As a junior middle blocker at IU, Thrower set a school record and tied a national record when she went a perfect 15 kills on 15 swings in a win over Buffalo.
Thrower still plays in volleyball leagues in the Chicago area and enjoys spending time outdoors and camping.
Thrower has had exciting changes in her life recently. This spring she was engaged to Justin Pagan, who played football at IU.
Thrower recently started a new position with the Cubs, Major Event Coordinator. In this new role, Thrower will manage event staff such as ushers and ticket takers and also work concerts that come to Wrigley Field.
Last month Thrower worked her first concert, June 29 when Tom Petty came to town. Other concerts this summer include Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel and the first female artist to headline at Wrigley Field, Lady Gaga.
In addition to her memories from Indiana, Thrower reflects on the lessons she learned at IU, that she carries with her in her career today.
"I think balancing your schedule is something this is really important.," Thrower said. "Taking classes every day, having practice, having games, conditioning, having to balance your schedule and multitasking takes practice. It is a lot of responsibility when you have to plan for yourself and don't have people setting a schedule for you."
"I think the discipline you get playing on a team carries over and has a lot of positives," she added. "People like to hire student-athletes because they have that discipline and teamwork experience and are highly motivated."
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