Pawtucket (Worcester) Red Sox Hire Richardson ’19 for Newly Created Role in Organization

For Alex Richardson ’19, baseball has always played a significant role in his life. After a successful baseball and academic career at Assumption, Richardson has been named the first community relations assistant with the Pawtucket (and soon to be Worcester) Red Sox, a position that was created for him in the organization after a productive internship. 

Richardson was unsure whether or not he would even go to college until he joined a summer baseball team at The BASE—an academy that combines athletic training and competition with educational and career resources to allow student-athletes to reach their full potential both on and off the field. Assumption currently provides two full-tuition scholarships annually to The BASE scholars from the original Roxbury facility. 

“[The BASE] provided me with free SAT preparatory classes, tutoring sessions, and partner with various colleges and institutions across the country to give away academic scholarships,” said Richardson. “This sport has helped turn an urban kid’s dreams, into realities,” he reflected. 

Richardson, a Rehoboth native with a double major in criminology and sociology and a minor in human services and rehabilitation studies who played all four years on Assumption’s baseball team, took advantage of the partnership with the soon-to-be Worcester Red Sox by seeking out an internship opportunity with the organization. Shortly after the announcement in October 2018, Professor Libby O’Hara offered him the opportunity to meet team executives.  

“My brief interaction with them transitioned into an informational interview, which ultimately led to my internship during the summer of 2019,” he recalled.  As an intern, Richardson worked in multiple departments, learning the ins and outs of what it takes to work in the baseball industry. The organization was so impressed with Richardson that they extended his internship beyond the summer and into the off-season. At the conclusion of 2019, the organization asked Richardson to fill a newly created role in their Community Relations Department. 

“This role allows me to utilize the sport of baseball as a vehicle to bring people together, and have a strong impact in the philanthropic community, which has always been a lifelong goal of mine,” said Richardson.  In this position, Richardson serves as a point of contact for charities, foundations, and community organizations, as well as for player relations. He helps execute a wide range of community events at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket (and will continue to do so when the team moves to Polar Park in Worcester). He also assists with social media strategies and tactics to enhance the club’s brand, coordinates player social media content, and hosts social media content videos.  

Richardson credits Assumption for helping to instill in him the value and importance of service. “Looking back at my years at Assumption, compassion and willingness to serve others are the two principal traits that have had the greatest impact in my professional career so far,” he shared. 

He said his time at Assumption, both as a student and an athlete, gave him the skills necessary to succeed.  “No matter what you study at Assumption, the internships and soft skills you learn from each class helps you transcend into the real world. Being a student athlete on the baseball team prepared me with the skill sets of teamwork, hard work, and having results-oriented focus.”  

Richardson is looking forward to continuing to live out his dreams while also giving back to the community with the WooSox.  “Your job is thing you do in order to make money and pay the bills,” he said. “Your work is the thing that you are most passionate about; the thing that makes your heart beat a little faster.  As we transition to Worcester, I am beyond excited to continue my role, which has allowed me to combine both my job and my work.”