(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – Ryan Moede is set to become the fifth general manager in the history of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Moede, a member of the Timber Rattlers front office team since 2010, is set to take over day-to-day operations from current team president and general manager Rob Zerjav, who will be taking a step back from his current role while remaining as Timber Rattlers President.
Zerjav, a member of Wisconsin’s front office since 1997, became president and general manager of the Rattlers after the 2002 season. In his time as president and general manager, the team has seen dramatic growth in both attendance and revenue, has welcomed the Milwaukee Brewers as their Major League affiliate and has seen a small stadium built in 1995 turn into a year-round, state-of-the-art venue.
“I am excited to announce this transition plan as it has been, in a sense, years in the making,” said Zerjav. “I have the utmost confidence in Ryan and the rest of our team to continue to provide the wonderful experience at the ballpark that our fans have come to expect. I am so proud to have worked with such a dedicated and talented group, and I am very fortunate to be able to continue to do so in more of a leadership/mentorship/advisory capacity. I also want to thank Peter Freund, Andrew Malcolm, Derek Sharer, and everyone with Diamond Baseball Holdings for supporting me with this move. I have called the Timber Rattlers home for the past 30 years and I don’t anticipate that changing any time soon. This is definitely not goodbye. It is just the end of one chapter and the start of the next.”
Zerjav has been named as a Baseball Executive of Year five times including, the Midwest League Executive of the Year in 2007, 2012, and 2018; Baseball America’s Executive of the Year in 2023, and Minor League Baseball’s High-A Executive of the Year in 2025.
“Rob has built something truly special in Wisconsin over the past three decades and his impact on the Timber Rattlers, the Fox Cities, and Minor League Baseball will be felt for years to come,” said Pat Battle and Peter Freund, Executive Chairman and CEO of DBH, respectively. “We’re grateful he will continue to be part of the organization and a resource to DBH in the years ahead. Ryan knows this organization, this community, and this business exceptionally well, and we have tremendous confidence in his ability to lead the Timber Rattlers into this next chapter.”
Moede, a native of Algoma and a University of Wisconsin-Parkside graduate, joined Wisconsin as the Box Office Manager in 2010 from the Sacramento River Cats. He then took on the role of Director of Tickets which he held through 2016. He stayed in the Timber Rattlers family when he became the general manager of the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders of the Northwoods League from 2016 through 2020 before rejoining the Rattlers front office as the team’s Vice President of Business Operations.
“I’m incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to serve as General Manager of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers,” said Moede. “I’ve been fortunate to learn from Rob for many years, and I can’t thank him enough for his mentorship, leadership, and the trust he has placed in me. Rob has helped build an incredible culture and set a standard for what the Timber Rattlers mean to our fans and the Fox Cities community.”
Moede was named Northwoods League Executive of the Year in 2018, the same season the Dock Spiders captured their first League Championship on the field. Since returning to the Timber Rattlers staff in 2020, he has helped the organization reach new heights in sponsorships, merchandise, and ticket sales. Moede currently resides in Greenleaf with his wife Amanda and daughters Larkin and Piper.
“We have an amazing and incredibly talented staff, and I’m extremely excited to continue working alongside them as we build on everything that has made this organization so special,” continued Moede. “Our staff takes a tremendous amount of pride in creating a great experience every single night, and I’m looking forward to continuing to find new and creative ways to make Timber Rattlers baseball one of the best family entertainment experiences in Minor League Baseball.”
“I truly believe we have one of the most talented groups of people running our baseball team and I am amazed day-in-and-day-out by how they all continue to grow and produce at such a high level,” echoed Zerjav. “Ryan has been a part of our organization since 2010 and gained invaluable hands-on experience when he became the first General Manager for the Dock Spiders. When he returned to the Timber Rattlers, he continued to grow in his leadership role, and I have no doubt Ryan will be extremely successful leading the Timber Rattlers organization moving forward.”
The Rattlers have won numerous organizational awards under Zerjav’s guidance, including the National Larry MacPhail Award for promotional excellence in 2012 and Baseball America’s Freitas Award as Single-A Minor League organization of the year in 2022. The Rattlers were also the Midwest League’s nominee for the MacPhail award in 2015, 2016, and 2017 and received the Midwest League’s President’s Award in 2005, 2018, and 2019. In 2019, Wisconsin was a double winner of Minor League Baseball’s Golden Bobblehead Award for Theme Night of the Year and Promotion of the Year with the creation of the Wisconsin Udder Tuggers alternate identity gaining the franchise notoriety and recognition.
Awards were not isolated to the world of baseball. In 2019, the Rattlers were the only Minor League team named to the inaugural list of Top 50 Best Employers in Sports by Front Office Sports, a feat that was repeated in 2022. The Appleton Post-Crescent also named the Timber Rattlers as the Small Business of the Year in 2012.
“Our goal for 2027 and beyond is to create lasting memories at the ballpark, be a great community partner, and provide an experience that is second-to-none in Northeast Wisconsin for our fans,” added Moede.
While remaining with the Timber Rattlers and assisting DBH with other projects, Zerjav plans to focus on the Dock Spiders, the Northwoods League team he and his wife own in Fond du Lac.
“My entire career has been with the Timber Rattlers, and I am eternally grateful for that, but after 30 years I feel I have accomplished pretty much everything I have ever dreamed of doing with this team and ballpark,” said Zerjav. “The Timber Rattlers are in a great spot, and I want to give an opportunity to some of our younger staff to continue to grow. I also look forward to assisting DBH with some of their other teams while also seeing if I can build in Fond du Lac with the Dock Spiders, what we have built in Appleton with the Timber Rattlers.”
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