🏆 Inside CarMax Park: Leading the Flying Squirrels Into a New Era

Anthony Oppermann is the General Manager of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. A Texas native who started in sports broadcasting, he has worked across minor league baseball, local radio, collegiate summer leagues, a newspaper sports desk, a short stint with the Astros’ ticket sales and service group, and most recently returned to Richmond to help lead the launch of CarMax Park, which will officially debut this spring.

From La Grange to the Broadcast Booth

Anthony grew up in La Grange, Texas, “all 4,500 of us,” a three-traffic-light town. He jokes he grew up “in the suburbs” on 63 acres that has stayed in the family for generations. Baseball was the thread. “I’ve really fond memories of sitting in my grandparents’ screened in front porch, drinking Dr. Pepper, eating peanuts, playing dominoes, and listening to Houston Astros games on the radio.” Anthony chose TCU for college because he knew the sports industry was competitive, and he wanted a place where he could stand out and get real opportunities in a major market. The pivotal break came the summer after his junior year, when a professor handed him two phone numbers and simple instructions. Start with the first.

That chain led to Reid Ryan and ultimately to Mike Capps, who gave Anthony what he most wanted from a mentor: the truth. “You are way, way behind all of your peers right now. I hear a lot of passion. If that’s real and you’re willing to work, then you may have a shot.” Anthony responded by finding reps anywhere he could. He went home to La Grange, got told “no” on calling games, then asked the question that changed his trajectory. He built sponsorship packages, covered the costs, “we actually made money on the deal,” and his first color commentator was his dad, an experience he says he’ll “forever cherish.”

A Baseball Gypsy

From there, it was the grind. Anthony called collegiate summer games for free while working as a valet to pay rent. “I would valet cars from five to noon. Go home, take a nap, eat something, and then go out to the ballpark, call games, get home at 11, wake up and do it all over again the next day.” Then came the Winter Meetings and a job offer in Daytona Beach for no pay. The most human part of the story is how many times he had to deliver that line to people he loved. “That’s great. How much does it pay?” he was asked. “Well, that’s the problem. It doesn’t pay anything.”

Still, he learned the business from the inside, then landed his first full-time role with the Potomac Nationals. “Somebody had to invite me into the club, but once you’re in, you’re in.” From Potomac to Reading, then back to Richmond for the launch of the Flying Squirrels, his path was intentionally non-linear. He calls it what it is. “I described myself as a baseball gypsy.”

Building Richmond’s Team

When the Flying Squirrels moved from Norwich to Richmond, the leadership set three pillars: “be impactful 365 days a year,” “be different,” and “have fun.” The name was the first test, and the backlash was immediate. “Every phone call wasn’t about tickets. It was about people that were very angry.” He remembers the criticism clearly. “No one was gonna take them seriously.” The response inside the room was just as clear. “That’s it, that’s the point.”

Over time, the name became the identity. “The Flying Squirrels became a part of Richmond’s identity.” Anthony points out something important about affiliation. They’re far from their MLB parent club, which forced them to stand on their own, and that became an advantage. “It has allowed us to build the Flying Squirrels brand independent of that.”

CarMax Park, and Making The Experience Matter

Anthony is most energized by what’s coming next. “If people in Richmond enjoyed the baseball experience to this point, they have no idea what they’re in for at CarMax Park.” For him, this is not just a new building. It is a reset on what a night at the ballpark can feel like. The word he keeps coming back to is immersion. “When you come into CarMax Park, you are in the experience.” From the moment gates open, the entertainment begins. Music, performers, sightlines, and open spaces are intentionally designed so fans feel part of something the second they walk in. Gates will open 90 minutes before first pitch, and that time is being programmed with purpose. DJs, live performers, and interactive elements are all aimed at building energy throughout the park. “We are determined to build anticipation and crescendo to that moment of first pitch.”

The vision pulls inspiration from larger professional experiences, but adapts it for Richmond. Every square inch of the ballpark has been thought through with intention. Anthony describes it as programming from foul pole to foul pole, where each section has a purpose and a personality; And CarMax Park is built for far more than baseball. “CarMax Park is being built as a multi-use entertainment venue.” The flexibility is part of the strategy. The backstop area can transform into a standalone event space with garage doors that close off the concourse. Premium lounges can host corporate meetings, holiday parties, and private events. The field can welcome larger concerts, while interior spaces can host smaller shows, comedy nights, or community gatherings. For Anthony and the Flying Squirrels, that means becoming not just a team, but a hub. A place where a family makes a memory in June, a company hosts a holiday party in December, and a young fan experiences their first game this spring when the doors officially open. For Richmond, CarMax Park is not just the next chapter. It is a new stage.

The Why: Creating Core Memories

Anthony’s “why” is impact, and it’s grounded in something simple. Proximity to people. “Minor league baseball is just so special because you get to have that one-to-one connection with the fan.” He sees the job as memory-making. “Every single game, there’s an opportunity to create a special moment for somebody.” He calls them “core memories,” and he’s seen how deep that bond runs, even beyond the ballpark.