Lunkers part ways with GM

Shortly after ending its inaugural season with a 3-6 record, the Ozarks Lunkers have parted ways with the team's first general manager.

Team officials said in a statement posted to Facebook yesterday that the Lunkers would move forward in The Arena League without Caleb Scott in the general manager role. Scott, who previously operated the Queen City Insane Asylum amateur team, was hired by the Lunkers last summer – nearly a year before the first season began.

"The Lunkers organization is grateful to Caleb for his dedication and the significant contributions he has made in establishing the foundation of our team," the statement, signed by co-owners Mark Burgess and Monica Henderson, reads. "This decision, although a difficult one, was reached through deliberate collaboration and thoughtful consideration with input across the entire organization, and we believe it is the right move to ensure continued progress and future success for the Lunkers."

Reached this morning, Burgess said the Lunkers have a goal of naming a new general manager within 30 to 60 days. He said after the announcement went out yesterday, a half-dozen applications were sent in for the role. Recommendations also will be solicited from The Arena League, Burgess said.

Burgess said Scott was a valued leader during the team’s first year.

“We just have a difference in the way that we deal with our organizational structure and the way we deal with staff and our communications,” Burgess said. “Those items became a big factor in the season, not necessarily affecting wins or losses, but just the general vibe of the team.”

Scott deferred comment to a public post on Facebook he made this morning. In the post, he said he’s "forever grateful for those who trusted me with this role and cannot begin to thank those of you enough who called or reached out to just say something kind."

"While it wasn’t what I wanted, God is still good and I am currently praying for the new GM that they hire," Scott said in the post. "I pray that he or she picks up seamlessly and takes the Ozarks Lunkers to an even better place."

Scott additionally thanked team representatives by name, including Burgess, Henderson, who is vice president of team operations, and head coach Cam Bruffett. SBJ previously reported Bruffett was hired after leading the Parkview Vikings high school squad to a winless season in 2023.

"Mark Burgess, the owner of the Lunkers, put up his own money to give this city and these players an experience of a lifetime. It's cost him countless time, energy, resources and money, but he has not wavered on his commitment to excellence in the product he has delivered," Scott said. "He trusted me to help develop this thing from the ground up and I know for a fact, the decision to go in a different direction for GM next year was not an easy one for him or his staff."

He called Henderson "the heartbeat of this from the very beginning" and said "Bruffett worked himself harder than anyone I know each and every week."

Scott, who also has worked professionally as a real estate agent, recently joined 1 Percent Lists as a real estate specialist, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Burgess and Henderson last week issued a statement through the Lunkers' Facebook page thanking the team's fanbase and pointing to changes on the way for the second season.

"Even in the face of skepticism, the product has proven successful," the statement reads. "Our attendance numbers have far exceeded expectations, achieving what was said to be impossible for at least two years."

Lunkers officials earlier this week told SBJ that 10,511 people were in attendance at the team's five home games played at Wilson Logistics Arena.

The Arena League's nine-week regular season culminated in a championship game called ArenaMania. The Aug. 10 game was won by the Duluth Harbor Monsters.