Brady Ballard enters his 20th season in professional sports and his fourth year with the Hooks.

Brady's prior stints include General Manager at the Spring Training home of the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, and Vice President of Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.

The Marion, Illinois native was named 2013 Executive of the Year in the Advanced-A Florida State League as General Manager of the Daytona Cubs. Ballard began his career in 2004 with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns.

Brady currently serves on community boards for Visit Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi Sports Commission and Goodwill Industries of South Texas. Additionally, he previously served as the Event Chair for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Vero Beach.

Ballard received a degree in Economics in 2001 from the University of Illinois, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten Academic Team and Third-Team All-Big Ten outfielder.

Brady lives in Corpus Christi with his wife Gina, their son Dash, and daughter Hannah. Away from Whataburger Field, he enjoys golf, exercising, yard work, family time, and fishing in the Coastal Bend.

Becca joined the business development team in February 2024 after working two seasons as a member of the Hooks promotions crew.

A graduate of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Becca owns a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. In addition to her coursework, the East Texas native served in multiple leadership roles with Zeta Tau Alpha while at the Island University.

Becca roots for all teams out of the Lone Star State, especially the Texas Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys. A big baseball fan, she is particularly torn when the Astros and Rangers battle for the Silver Boot.

Away from Whataburger Field, Becca enjoys spending time with friends and family, including her dog Bear. She also loves to start her day on the beach at sunrise, though that snooze button is mighty tempting during a Hooks homestand!

Pat became a Hook in January 2022 following a three-year stint with the Southern Illinois Minors Baseball Team. During his time in Marion, Ill., Pat served as a box office manager and an account executive before being promoted to group sales coordinator. His work history also includes director of ticket sales for the Tucson Sugar Skulls, a professional indoor football team in Tucson, Ariz.

Originally from Munster, Indiana, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Pat graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington with a major in Sports Marketing and Management and a minor in Business.

His favorite teams are the Chicago Bulls, Green Bay Packers and, of course, the Hooks! Pat is excited to make his home in Corpus Christi, while exploring what the Coastal Bend has to offer.

A Corpus Christi native, Darren entered the 2024 season in his current role after previously serving as a retail associate and customer service representative.

Darren attended Mary Carroll High School, totaling two seasons on the varsity football squad. Keeping his local ties, Darren continued his studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, graduating in 2023 with his degree in Sports Management.

The Islander graduate is a lover of the NFL, MLB & NBA, but keeps his roots firm in The Lone Star State as a fan of the Cowboys, Spurs, Longhorns and Astros.

Makenna, who joined the Hooks in September 2025, leads the charge in planning and executing special events at Whataburger Field.

An Oaklyn, New Jersey native, Makenna earned a bachelor's degree in Recreation & Sport Management at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina and received a master's degree in Sport and Entertainment Management from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Makenna was ushered into the Philadelphia sports scene at an early age. While growing up in a military family, she played softball, basketball, rowing, gymnastics, and all-star cheerleading.

In addition to sports, Makenna enjoys trying new places to eat and going out with friends. She is also an all-star at laying out on the beach and couch surfing. Whatever it takes to binge a book or show!

Courtney transitioned to Creative Services in 2020, serving as the team's graphic design guru. She's been with the Hooks since 2012, first as an intern before moving into a full-time position as Community Relations Coordinator in December 2013. In that time, she oversaw community appearances, donation requests and held the honor of being Rusty Hook and Sammy Seagull's boss.

A South Texas native, Courtney was born a stone's throw away from Whataburger Field at Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital, grew up in Calallen and graduated from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a degree in Sports Management and Marketing. She left the Coastal Bend for year to play softball at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, but returned home to attend TAMU-CC.

Courtney doesn't mind paying extra for guacamole.

Val’s tenure with the Hooks began in April 2021 as a member of the club’s gameday production crew.

An Alice Coyote, Val graduated from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, where they earned a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts with an emphasis in Media Production. When not at the ballpark, Val enjoys doing freelance creative video for various sports organizations across Texas. Their other hobbies include golfing, watching horror films, and seeing how many pieces of sushi they can eat in one sitting.

You can also catch Val on Hooks social’s hosting their “What’s On Deck” segments, a fun and informative series highlighting upcoming Hooks games and promotions around the Coastal Bend.

Val’s passion for the fan experience drives everything they do, ensuring that everyone, whether a die-hard fan or a first-time visitor, has a memorable and engaging time at the ballpark.

“I’ll see you at the ballpark!”

Brett, who joined the Hooks in August 2015, directs all ballpark operations and event staff at Whataburger Field.

A native of Reno, Nevada, Brett played two years of baseball at Feather River College in Quincy, California, helping the Golden Eagles win back-to-back conference and regional championships. Brett moved on to the University of Nevada-Reno for a Marketing degree before earning a Master's in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco.

Brett stayed in the Bay Area after college, interning with the San Francisco Giants' Guest Services Department in 2013. He then became a Ballpark Operations Assistant during the 2014 World Series season.

When not engulfed in baseball, Brett enjoys a multitude of other sports, including golfing, basketball, and wakeboarding, as well as wishing that his beloved Oakland Raiders would win their first Super Bowl since 1983.

Mike has been working with the Hooks since the inaugural 2005 season, supervising the cleaning of Whataburger Field.

Born in Munich, Germany, Mike was restaurant manager of the Corpus Christi International Airport from 1989-99. The Taft native also served in the Navy for six years as an Aerographer's Mate.

During his slim time spent away from Whataburger Field, Mike enjoys fishing and football.

Jessica joined the Hooks in 2014 and helps keep the club's finances in order. Hitting the decade mark, it's been noted as the best decade of her professional life with excitement to the next decade and beyond. Prior to coming on board, she worked in non-profits and also held Hooks season tickets.

A native of Corpus Christi, Jessica graduated from Howard Payne University in Brownwood with a degree in communications (2002) and received her MBA from St. Edward's University in Austin (2010).

In her journey through CCISD, she attended Club Estates Elementary, Tom Browne Middle School and Carroll High School.

She and her husband Daniel, a plein air painting enthusiast, live in Corpus Christi with their daughter Lindsey. The family of three also has three dogs in Paige, Dot and Kit. If her family attended Hogwarts, Jessica would be a Ravenclaw, Daniel a Slytherin and Lindsey a Hufflepuff. While we can't know for sure (because dogs can't take computer quizzes), it's thought that Paige is a Hufflepuff, Kit a Gryffindor and Dot is a Slytherin.

Jessica's best friend, Suzanne Shockley, has been the mastermind creating the amazing couture for Rusty and Sammy.