If you ask K.L. Wombacher, President & General Manager of the Hillsboro Hops, what the team really does, he won't start with wins and losses. He'll say it's about creating experiences. And, since Ziply Fiber became a founding partner of the Hops' new ballpark, we've been helping the team deliver those experiences that keep fans coming back year after year.
“We’re running an entertainment business,” Wombacher says. “It’s about getting people here, making sure they have a great time and creating something they want to come back to year after year.”
That mindset has helped turn the Hops into more than a minor league baseball team. Since arriving in Hillsboro, Oregon in 2013, the Hops have become a true community fixture, one that brings families together, invests in young people and creates memorable experiences both on and off the field.
A team rooted in the community
The Hillsboro Hops are a Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, part of Major League Baseball’s professional development system. While the franchise’s history stretches back decades, its Oregon chapter is now 13 seasons strong, and the impact adds up.
“We’ve drawn well over a million fans,” Wombacher says. “The community has really embraced the team.”
That embrace goes both ways. The Hops have donated more than $1 million to youth-focused initiatives, with a particular emphasis on youth baseball and softball, as well as support for first-generation college students.
On game nights, the ballpark fills with something familiar and timeless: families, friends and neighbors sharing peanuts, hot dogs and a few carefree hours together.
“A lot of times it’s generations of families,” Wombacher says. “That’s what makes it special.”
Beyond game day: showing up where it counts
For the Hops, community involvement doesn’t stop at the stadium gates.
One of their biggest efforts is Play Ball Weekend, a national MLB initiative, but the Hops have taken it further than anyone else.
“We have the largest activation of any team, major or minor league,” Wombacher explains. “We go out to nine different fields and do free clinics for kids, about 120 kids per site. That’s around a thousand kids total.”
Players and staff spread across the Portland metro area, bringing the game directly to young athletes. The team also hosts clinics at the ballpark, including a popular girls-only clinic, and stays closely involved with local nonprofits, chambers of commerce and the City of Hillsboro.
It’s all part of a simple philosophy: be present, be accessible and give back in ways that matter.
Creating “astonishment” at the ballpark
Ask Wombacher what he wants fans to feel when they attend a Hops game, whether it’s their first visit or their 50th, and he doesn’t hesitate.
“One word we use a lot is astonishment,” he says. “We want people to be blown away by the experience.”
That goal is about to get a major upgrade. This season marks the opening of the Hops’ new, state-of-the-art ballpark, a project years in the making and the first major sports venue built in the area in three decades.
“We want people to have a smile on their face from the moment they enter the parking gate to the moment they get back on the freeway,” Wombacher says. “We want to create experiences they don’t expect.”
If they’ve done their job right, he adds, kids leave wearing Hops hats in the back seat, already asking when they can come back.
What makes a partnership meaningful
For the Hops, partnerships aren’t about logos or transactions: they’re about alignment and shared impact. Ziply Fiber provides free, high-speed WiFi throughout the entire ballpark for fans, vendors and employees alike, giving the team the technology they need to create seamless, memorable experiences.
“We rarely use the term ‘sponsorship,’” Wombacher says. “We use the word ‘partner.’”
What matters most is shared values and shared goals, along with a commitment to what he calls “playing the long game.”
“We don’t look for the biggest check initially,” he explains. “We want to work with companies in a way that makes sense, align on outcomes and grow together over time.”
That approach is exactly why the Hops’ partnership with Ziply Fiber has lasted since day one.
“Every day of the partnership has been great,” Wombacher says. “The Ziply Fiber people locally have always taken a lot of pride in supporting the Hops.”
From reliable service behind the scenes to Ziply Fiber employees and leadership showing up as fans in the stands, the relationship goes beyond infrastructure.
“When partners are also fans,” he says, “it just makes it so much more fun to work together.”
Why minor league baseball hits different
One thing that might surprise fans? Minor league teams aren’t focused on developing players. That’s handled entirely by the major league organization.
“Our job is the experience,” Wombacher says. “The food, the service, the value, the atmosphere. It’s about building a fan base that wants to be here.”
And for people who think baseball isn’t for them, he has a simple message.
“A lot of folks come out who’ve never been to a baseball game and didn’t realize they could like it,” he says. “Minor league baseball is just fun. The energy is contagious.”
It’s affordable, welcoming, and—maybe most importantly—an excuse to get off the couch and do something together.
“It’s good for everyone’s mental health,” Wombacher adds. “It gives you a sense of joy. It’s just flat-out fun.”
Read more about our community involvement.
