STL Cardinals, Baseball Hall of Fame Internships Lay Path to Career for Tommy Bohnert ’15

Pictured above: Tommy pitching in a game versus Principia in April 2014.

A member of the Blue Jay baseball team, Tommy Bohnert ’15 has played baseball all his life, but it’s more than a game he loves to play: It’s a passion he is working to turn into a career. When the chance came to apply for the internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY this summer, theopportunity was something Tommy couldn’t pass up.

Inspiration for Greatness

Originally from St. Louis, South County, Tommy went to Oakville High School before attending Westminster. His fascination with working in sports sales and marketing began with an internship for the St. Louis Cardinals. He worked for them as an intern in the summer of his sophomore year at Westminster, and he still maintains his contacts. Previous to that internship, Tommy explored marketing by working for the Marketing Department at Westminster.

“Dr. Carner presented me with the opportunity and I wouldn’t have heard about it without him,” Tommy says, crediting Westminster Associate Professor of Business Dr. Bill Carner with connecting him with the internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“The teachers and the internship program care very much about their students and giving them opportunities to follow their career path,” he adds.

He says the opportunities at Westminster have helped him follow his dreams. Tommy has been very involved on campus, including his participation in the Student Ambassadors Committee, playing on the baseball team, and his service as the Kappa Alpha Fraternity president.

Looking to the Future

Since his positive experience interning for the Cardinals, Tommy has set out to continue making himself relevant in the field of sports marketing and sales.

“I want to challenge myself to sharpen the tool set I need to be successful,” he says.

His future plans are to rejoin the Cardinals’ sales and marketing team as a direct sales representative in August after his internship with the Hall of Fame has concluded.

When thinking about advice for Westminster students looking forward, Tommy says “Go for it.”

“The worst thing you could do is to not even apply. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and do what you love to do. It doesn’t matter if you make $20,000 or $100,000, you need to be happy.”