~~MoonDogs Name Two Assistant Coaches for 2014
Mankato, Minn.- The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club, a member of the Northwoods League, is excited to announce the addition of assistant coaches Ryan Day and Austin Flores to the 2014 staff.
Day comes to the MoonDogs from Concordia University Irvine, where he is a former player and now in his second season as pitching coach. In his playing career, Day recorded eight saves and had a 5.04 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched. All eight saves came in 2011, where he now stands second in Concordia's season records. In 2010, Day struck out 35 batters and batted .300 in 20 at bats.
In his first year at Concordia, Day split time between pitching and outfield and eventually made the full transition to the back end of the bullpen in 2011. In 2012, Day was the varsity pitching coach at Tustin High School and currently coaches a travel ball club in Orange County, California called OC Premier Baseball.
Day graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communications from Concordia University in 2011. He will be assisting MoonDogs head coach Mike Orchard as pitching coach this season.
Austin Flores will also enter his first season with the MoonDogs as an assistant coach. Flores comes from Nicholls State University where he played two seasons.
In his first Northwoods League coaching position, Austin Flores will handle first base coaching responsibilities for the MoonDogs. Flores has stated he is excited to work with head coach Mike Orchard this summer and said, "I look forward to helping the guys that come to Mankato get better."
At Nicholls State, Flores had a career .251 batting average with 47 RBI and 31 runs scored. He was also a member of two Southland Conference tournament teams, one of which made it to the tournament semifinals.
Flores returned to Nicholls as a student assistant coach for the 2014 season, after spending the summer as a scout for PerfectGame USA. In that position, Flores evaluated players during national tournaments and showcases, and was also field supervisor during the tournaments.
The MoonDogs home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 at 7:05 p.m. against the Alexandria Blue Anchors at Franklin Rogers Park. Season tickets are now on sale at the MoonDogs office located at 1221 Caledonia Street.
The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.mankatomoondogs.com.
