Madison Mallards head coach C.J. Thieleke added another member to his coaching staff for the 2005 season with the addition of Tury Velasquez. Velasquez joins the Mallards as an assistant coach in Madison and will be dealing primarily with position players and base running.
The former minor leaguer has coached six seasons at Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, the same school where returning Mallards shortstop Abe Aguirre attended high school. Prior to coaching at Eastwood, Velasquez was an assistant coach at Riverside High School in El Paso, Texas.
?Tury is looking forward to coaching college kids after having done such a great job at the high school level,? Thieleke said. ?I am excited to have Tury on our staff this summer and it helps that he has a connection with one of the kids on our team as he coaches at the same high school where Abe played ball.?
Before becoming a coach, Velasquez also played professional baseball in the Texas-Louisiana Professional League and was named the Greenville Bluesman Rookie of the Year in 1998.
The Mallards open the 2005 season Wednesday, June 1, at 7:05 p.m. against the Mankato MoonDogs. For ticket information call the Mallards at 246-4277 or visit www.mallardsbaseball.com.
