Potters owners excited to welcome back fans to McBean

The 2021 Lincoln Potters summer league baseball season could not get here fast enough for club owners Clifton Taylor and Isabel Domeyko Taylor. It's another opportunity to smell the freshly cut outfield grass, to hear the cracks of wood bats and to observe some top-level talent from across the country right here in Lincoln. For the Taylors, this season will have an added, yet familiar, aspect to the ambiance at McBean Park that has been missing since the 2019 summer before the COVID-19 pandemic closed the stands. Fans will once again be allowed to watch Potters games live in person, with limited capacity to start, during the 2021 season. "We're super excited for the season," Clifton Taylor said. "It feels like it's been too long since we saw our friends at the park." When the Potters have their season-opener tonight against the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox, McBean Stadium will be able to host fans at 33-percent capacity. The Potters hope to gradually decrease attendance limitations as the season moves along and as state health restrictions ease. With anticipation of fans slowly returning to McBean, the Taylors have worked in conjunction with their other businesses to ensure a top-notch viewing experience. "We want to be able to provide an experience that improves every year, different food and beverage options, more fun things for kids, different theme nights," Domeyko Taylor said. "The entertainment has gotten better every year, and we learn new things every season and try to make thoughtful improvements with each new season." Domeyko Taylor, the Potters' president and CEO, also owns and operates New Economics & Advisory, a consulting firm that provides economic analysis and strategies pertaining to land use, real estate development and associated public policy measures. Clifton Taylor, the Potters' treasurer and secretary, is also the founder of Taylor Builders, a self-run development company in the Greater Sacramento area. The husband-wife tandem came into Potters ownership when the baseball club was revived in 2017 and the Lincoln Potters brand took off. "There's been quite a bit of evolution with our fans, not only with their experience in the stadium but the relationships with our broadcast team and podcasts and interface on social media," Clifton Taylor said. "It's really become a year-round execution of our team brand." While the Taylors have helped create a unique family-friendly fan experience, they rely on general manager Matt Lundgren and manager Ryan Stevens to provide the on-field product, which consistently hovers near the top of the California Collegiate League standings. After acquiring 100-percent interest in the team going into their second season, the Taylors gave Lundgren an opportunity to earn his way into becoming a shareholder. "Matt makes our lives relatively easy getting to Opening Day," Clifton Taylor said. "We try to stay out of the baseball side of things. It's really not our role or expertise, so we're very deferential to them. But their roster reflects that they've done a good job attracting players from across the country." Stevens had six seasons as an assistant coach at Sierra College before becoming the Potters manager preceding the 2018 season. He is also an assistant coach on the William Jessup University softball team and is a player insight specialist for the Louisville Slugger indoor hitting facility in Roseville. The Taylors recognize Stevens' ability to attract some of the game's top collegiate players. "These are very highly-regarded kids at their universities and their coaches have to be thoughtful of where they send their kids for the summer," Clifton Taylor said. "It's become clear that Lincoln is a top-notch destination to send talent and Ryan deserves a tremendous amount of credit for leading that effort." The Taylors are working on improving the Potters' live broadcast experience as well, hoping to give a better viewing opportunity for players' parents who can't be in Lincoln to watch in person. This season's broadcasts are expected to enable multiple camera angles and replay capability. "We're providing one of the top online experiences within the league," Clifton Taylor said. "We hope that will further advance people's willingness to send their kids across the country and help us evolve and become a leading brand in wood-bat baseball." The Taylors embed their own family into the fun of being at McBean in the summertime. Their two daughters frequently act as bat girls in the dugout during games. Clifton Taylor's stepmother has also been known to don the "Piper the Peacock" mascot costume from time to time. "They love it," Domeyko Taylor said. "For me, it's being able to be part of a community amenity in the town of Lincoln where there's just a lot of local pride. There's pride around that community, pride around baseball in that community, and being able to provide something that is a form of entertainment that's outdoors and affordable feels really good to me." The Potters open the 2021 season at McBean Stadium at 6:05 tonight. Visit www.lincolnpotters.com for more information.