York Revolution Internship Serves up a Home Run for Hanover Military Veteran
Devin Hartlaub ’25 served in the Army, including a two-year stint in South Korea, before pursuing higher education as a Business Administration major at York College of Pennsylvania.
Devin Hartlaub ’25 easily could credit his sense of adventure for leading him around the world. But the 25-year-old Hanover man will tell you that every experience he’s had is just his best effort to follow God’s plan. Sometimes, he says, that plan isn’t immediately clear.
Devin was finishing a two-year tour of duty with the Army in South Korea when he decided it was time to come home. Serving overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic had its challenges, and while Devin enjoyed his work as a mechanic, repairing “anything with wheels,” he sensed that part of his journey was coming to an end.
It wasn’t clear what would come next, but Devin felt a calling to be closer to his hometown. July 8, 2022, was his last day of active duty. He worked for two months in landscaping before starting to earn his degree at York College of Pennsylvania.
Finding what’s next
Devin enrolled at York College with an undeclared major. He took a few business classes and even considered becoming a physical therapist, but found the most enjoyment in some of his management courses.
“I didn’t know where a business degree might lead me,” he says. “It just felt like the right fit for me. Things were clicking for me in this area, and I knew I wanted to stick with it.”
He declared his major as Business Administration.
In early 2024, Devin was ready to put his new business skills to the test with an internship. While scrolling through HandShake, a platform that York College uses to showcase internship opportunities, Devin found three offerings with the York Revolution, a professional baseball team in the Atlantic League, which is an independent partner league of Major League Baseball.
He applied for all three internships. The one he ended up getting was a full-time ticket operations position typically held by a graduate student. When he stepped into the stadium box office in February, he immediately started balancing a full-time college workload with his 9-to-5 hours at WellSpan Park.
“I felt like they trusted me to deliver on this position,” Devin says. “It meant a lot that I could come into this and just try my best.”
Once the baseball season began, Devin’s responsibilities changed. While his job included operating the box office and selling tickets, he also had to hire and manage staffers who worked under him. He created their schedules, tracked budgeted hours, and ensured that everyone met the customer service standards of the organization.
In the Army, Devin had the experience of overseeing a few soldiers in a much different work environment. Being a manager in civilian life was new to him. It also pushed him to come out of his shell and stretch his social skills. With a goal to provide a welcoming environment for staff and customers, Devin found he made good connections with loyal fans, many of whom have come to know him by name.
Following the plan
Devin says he never intended to work in sports, but the experience has opened him up to “a whole industry I didn’t know existed, full of employment opportunities.” He has met other interns from Florida, Virginia, and West Virginia, whom he considers good friends, and he bonded with some of the players and other management staffers during a work-related golf outing.
“The hands-on management experience has shown me that this is a role I’d like to be in someday,” he says. “That’s not an experience you can find in the classroom. I appreciate that York College made sure I found that kind of opportunity.”
