THE OFFICIAL HOME OF THE
MORGAN COUNTY WRANGLERS
Meet Your Team Owners
The Wranglers are the latest expansion team in the Front Range League, and the team is founded by Mayra and Chuck Heeman. The Heemans also own and operate the Western Nebraska Pioneers and Nebraska Outlaws of the FRL, and Chuck Heeman is the President of the Front Range League.
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The Heemans have eyed Morgan County for a few years as a location that fits perfectly in the league footprint and a place where fans, host families, interns, players and coaches can spend a great summer at the ballpark. With the cooperation of the Cities of Brush and Ft. Morgan, the Morgan County School District, the Brush and Morgan County Chambers of Commerce and more, the Wranglers were launched in 2025 and begin play in May 2026.
Mayra and Chuck look forward to becoming part of the community and seeing you all at the ballpark!
Chuck Heeman, Managing Partner
After working for more than 35 years in professional sports, Chuck Heeman, along with his wife Mayra, founded the Wranglers in the fall of 2025, leading up to our inaugural 2026 season.
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Chuck has served as General Manager for four professional baseball teams as well serving as the founding General Manager with two Oregon-based summer collegiate baseball teams, the Klamath Falls Gems and Medford Rogues. Chuck also served four years as Operations Manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks. His sports experience also includes three years with the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds at their Goodyear, Arizona Spring Training complex immediately prior to purchasing the Western Nebraska Pioneers franchise in 2017.
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Chuck, age 66 and getting too old for all this nonsense, is also a disabled veteran of the U. S. Air Force, a 13-year former U.S. Postal Service worker and a graduate of Arizona State University. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Chuck grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He is married to Mayra Heeman. The couple has four children and six grandchildren and resides in Gering, Nebraska.
Mayra Heeman, Managing Partner
Mayra, the retired mother of four and grandmother of six, volunteers her spare time to help the Pioneers in a number of ways. She recruits and works with host families and helps with business operations. Following a heart attack, quintuple bypass and stroke in the fall of 2018, Mayra has cut back on her baseball duties and is restricted by management from doing too much. Fans and friends are encouraged to tell Mayra to slow down!
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Due to past... let's say... "incidents"... Mayra is not allowed to sit and watch games in which she is not working (she gets a little intense - some stories there if you'd like to hear). However, Mayra is always ready with a smile and a hug at Pios games and loves to spend time with the fans.
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Mayra served for five years as a volunteer with the Klamath Falls Gems and Medford Rogues (both in Oregon) where her husband served as General Manager. Prior to retirement and getting sucked into the baseball world, Mayra worked in the legal field as a litigating paralegal for law firms in California and Arizona.
A native of Mexico, Mayra came to the United States at age nine and grew up in Southern California. Mayra and Chuck Heeman were married in 2008 and moved to Gering, Nebraska in August 2017. The couple resides in Gering, where they purchased a home in April 2021.
Meet your Director of Marketing
Malori Burdette
As a lifelong resident of Morgan County and current business owner, I have a deep understanding of the local community and a genuine passion for supporting area businesses and community events!
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My experience spans small business management, sales, and administrative support. I would like to say in the business world I'm known for being dependable, creative, and I enjoy turning ideas into results and helping businesses grow!
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Malori is the Wranglers' "boots on the ground" leader and the spearhead in making community business, personal and event connections. Throughout the year she is helping the Wranglers grow into a tremendous community asset and is an essential part of bringing the Morgan County Wranglers to life in 2026!
Meet your Coaches
The Wranglers are proud to share the coaching staff for our 2026 inaugural season. Our coaches are dedicated to community involvement, fan interaction, and the development of our players on and off the field. A large part of summer collegiate baseball is the development of players to prepare them for the next level, not only between the lines but as they move to new communities and have new opportunities in all areas of life. Our coaches are dedicated to being a part of that puzzle as our guys move ahead in baseball and in life.
Head Coach
TC Fairfield
Coach TC Fairfield, hailing from the Bay Area (San Jose) California, enters his first year as the leader of the Morgan County Wranglers. This season will be his 8th year as a head coach on the summer ball circuit, having most recently coached teams at highly touted leagues in the West Coast and California Collegiate Leagues. TC spoke on knowing how successful this team can be in Fort Morgan. “When I found out about it, and the excitement around everything, I knew this was going to be an awesome place to build something fun,” Fairfield shared, “And I know that with the support of the town and our great partners, the Wranglers will bring an exciting brand of ball to the field that the people can rally behind and be proud of.” He certainly hopes that the formula for winning seasons he has produced in summers along the Pacific Coast will transition well to the Front Range League.
Over his 12 seasons working across all levels of college ball, TC has worked with numerous independent league players, several draft picks, and one current World Series champion. After starting his career as an assistant pitching coach for both San Jose State and Cal State East Bay, he transitioned to a head pitching coach and recruiting coordinator role with Ohlone College in Fremont, California. It was here he helped lead the team to a record 36 wins in a row and a trip to the California state championship game in 2022. He followed that up by helping lead Gavilan College (Gilroy, CA) to an 11-win season in 2024, after the school had won 0 games the 2 seasons prior. He is currently the head assistant coach and teaches Kinesiology courses at Coalinga College in the Central Valley of California.
Assistant Coach
Owen Prendergast
I grew up in Menifee California where I attended Paloma Valley High school and played Baseball. I went on to play in juco for Lane Community College in Eugene Oregon (2020-2022), then transferred to Ohlone college in Fremont California (2023). For my junior and senior year I attended and played at Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ) where I was awarded a Gold Glove for the third base position.
During my summers of college I had the privilege of traveling and playing summer ball. I’ve gotten to travel and play in San Fransisco, Seattle, and Canada which was an awesome experience. Funny enough I even played for TC back in the summer of 2021 for the South bay Storm and again in 2023 for the Dubsea Fishsticks when he was the skip. Outside of baseball some hobbies I enjoy are fishing, camping, and playing pool.
Chase Taylor will act as the pitching coach for the Morgan County Wranglers. Taylor brings a diverse west coast baseball background having pitched in leagues in California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada. During his collegiate career he has thrown over 100 innings in various roles, working under several former big league pitching coaches along the way (Andy Sisco, Jose Bautista).
His experience and familiarity with the summer ball circuit will be a tremendous asset to the staff. He is currently finishing his playing career at Union Commonwealth University in Kentucky.
Assistant Coach
Chase Taylor
INTERNS
The Wranglers are accepting applicants for summer internships. The intern staff assists across all functions of the team’s operation. The internships run from late May to early August. Internships are compensated with a monthly stipend and free host family housing.
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Interns will generally be assigned certain duties, though that can change as the season progresses. Interns are expected to be involved in all 24-game day functions, as well as pre-season preparations and end-of-season close-up. Some interns may be required to be involved well prior to the start of the season, i.e. Director – Ticketing & Groups.
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​The Wranglers expect to select four to six interns for the following positions, and full position descriptions can be found at www.joinhandshake.com:
Director - Baseball Operations
Ellie Balensky
My name is Ellie, I'm going to be the baseball operations intern this summer and I'm super excited to be involved in the Wranglers first season! I come from a background playing baseball my whole life and I'm a huge Chicago Cubs fan! I love all things sports so I'm excited to start getting hands-on experience in the sport industry.
I'm passionate about what it takes to make a team run smoothly behind the scenes and I'm eager to learn and make a meaningful impact to this team! A fun fact about me is that I was born in Virginia but I grew up in 5 different countries and now I attend The University of Alabama, Roll Tide!
Director of Fun
Preston Billings
Preston Billings is a Windsor, Colorado native and plays lacrosse at Southern Virginia University. He is currently pursuing a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management.
As a dedicated sports enthusiast, Preston brings firsthand experience from both competing and studying the business side of sports. He has also developed a strong interest in sports photography.
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During the summer, Preston will be one of two Directors who spearhead the game show, entertaining fans and giving Wranglers games a great atmosphere. He will also help document our inaugural season both on and off the field.
Director of Fun
Shelby Samek
Hello, my name is Shelby Samek. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln double majoring in Sports Media & Communications and Advertising & Public Relations with a minor in Psychology. I grew up playing sports and attending different games. In the summer, I loved attending baseball games and watching the fun activities on the field. I always wondered how cool it would be to have a job like that. I’m super excited to join the Morgan County Wranglers as an intern and so ready to learn!
I enjoy watching sports with my friends especially during football season. The game day atmosphere is unmatched in Memorial Stadium. I’m a huge Green Bay Packers fan so between them and the Huskers, that’s how I spend my weekends every fall. Outside of sports I enjoy spending time with my family. I come from a big family with six siblings and a bunch of nieces and nephews. I also love music, listening to it with friends in the car with the windows down, playing the guitar and especially going to concerts. I am a huge country music fan, but I really will listen to anything. I can’t wait to get to Colorado this summer and begin to live out this dream of mine!
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Count on seeing Shelby play the National Anthem on her guitar at least once this season!
Director – Social Media and Content Creation
Izzy Faubion
I am from Malcolm, Nebraska. I am a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursuing a double major in Film Studies and Sports Media and Communications. I am thrilled to be given this opportunity with the Pioneers to explore my passion for working with a sports team making media.
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In my free time, I am either hanging out with my friends, taking photos, or playing video games. Growing up, I didn’t play sports, but I really enjoyed watching them with my dad. Last summer I worked with my university’s football team as part of their video team. My dream goal is to be a part of the video team for an NFL team.
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Izzy will coordinate daily and weekly social media, video and other content for the Wranglers and Front Range League website and social media outlets. This includes player highlights, awards, milestones and happenings throughout the league.
Director – Stadium Operations
Alessi Rolando
My name is Alessi Rolando and I was born in San Jose, California and currently reside in Missoula, Montana. I'm excited to join the Fort Morgan Wranglers as an intern and bring passion and energy to an exciting baseball environment. I’m currently attending the University of Montana where I am studying Business Management with a minor in Entertainment Management.
I balance full time studying while working in a catering business and doing club baseball for the University.
I enjoy playing sports, being around my friends, cooking, operating my sports card business, skiing, and listening to music. I have experience working with smaller town organizations to build community engagement and I couldn’t be happier to join an excellent team in Fort Morgan where I can continue to accomplish that mission.