(Mankato, MN) – The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club, a member of the Northwoods League, is proud to announce the signing of two assistant coaches Ryan Levendoski and Erich Pfohl to their 2008 coaching staff.

Levendoski, a four-year letter winner at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, will bring Northwoods League coaching experience to the MoonDogs as he was an assistant coach for the Thunder Bay Border Cats in 2007. Currently, he is the head coach at Western Technical College (WTC) in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

"This is going to be a great opportunity for me to take the next step in coaching and help with the progress of the team,” Levendoski said. "Mankato is a great place and my goal is to help bring a Northwoods League championship to the community for the first time.”

Prior to his stints with WTC and the Border Cats, Levendoski was head coach of the Genoa-De Soto-Stoddard American Legion team from 2000 – 2006. Following graduation from UW-Platteville in 2004, he became Lead Assistant for the Pioneers in 2005. After one year away from coaching to pursue his masters, he returned in 2007 to make a huge impact on two different staffs, Viterbo University and Aquinas High School, both located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Viterbo University set a school record in wins (32) and Aquinas won the Division III State Championship.

During his playing career, Levendoski finished with a .350 career batting average that ranks sixth all-time at UW-Platteville. His most impressive year was his senior season when he batted .424 and set a school record for hits in a season with 64. In addition, he was named to the First Team All-WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), All-American Midwest Region 3rd Team, and voted Most Valuable Player.

Pfohl, who was a pitcher from 2004-2006 and then graduated in 2007 from Whittier College (East Los Angeles, California), has made a quick transition from player to coach. In 2007 he was head coach at Warren High School (Downey, California). Currently, he is a coach at El Capitan High School (Lakeside, California) and a member of the prestigious National Pitching Association (NPA) co-founded by the heralded Tom House. House, who is known by many as the "Father of Modern Pitching Mechanics,” has worked with numerous major league pitchers that includes Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Mark Prior, and Kevin Brown to name a few.

"The knowledge I’ve gained from the National Pitching Association has been tremendous,” said Pfohl. "I’m looking forward to coming to Mankato and help with the development of the pitching staff. The Northwoods League is a great league and I’m very happy to be a part of the MoonDogs coaching staff for 2008.”

The Mankato MoonDogs will begin their seventh season in the Northwoods League on May 29, 2008 when they travel to face the Rochester Honkers. Season and group tickets along with the 2008 early edition pocket schedule are now available. For more information, please visit www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the MoonDogs Ticket Office at 507-625-7047.