St. Cloud, MN – The St. Cloud Rox, 2017 Northwoods League Champions, announced Wednesday the assistant coaching staff for Field Manager Al Newman and Director of Baseball Operations Augie Rodriguez during the 2018 season.  The new assistant coaches will be former Rox All-Star infielder Drew Freedman and former Northwoods League and minor league pitcher Scott Lieser.

“We are beyond excited to have Drew and Scott join what we already consider to be an All-Star coaching staff,” Rox General Manager Mike Johnson said. “Their background of playing, and in Scott’s case, coaching in the Northwoods League along with their wealth of knowledge as it pertains to the game made it a great fit for them to join the organization for the 2018 season.”

Freedman played for the Rox during the 2016 season, where he appeared in 48 games primarily as a middle infielder. He had a .280 batting average that season with 32 runs scored and a team-high 19 stolen bases. He was selected to represent the North Division All-Stars in the 2016 Northwoods League All-Star Game, where he started at second base and went 1-for-2 with a run batted in and a run scored. Freedman played collegiately at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“Words can’t describe how blessed I am to be returning to St. Cloud to join the Rox coaching staff,” Freedman said. “I’m excited to help bring another championship to this great town.”

Lieser joins the Rox organization following a stint as the pitching coach for the Willmar Stinger during the 2017 season. He pitched three seasons in the Northwoods League for Waterloo and Willmar from 2010-2012. The Browerville, Minnesota native pitched four seasons for St. Cloud State University, compiling a 32-7 record with a 3.10 earned run average and 226 strikeouts over 269.2 innings pitched. He went on to pitch three seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, including two with the Brevard County Manatees in the Advanced Class A Florida State League. He currently serves as an assistant baseball coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me. I have a ton of respect for Augie Rodriguez, Al Newman and the entire Rox organization,” Lieser said. “I grew up a St. Cloud River Bats fan and to come back to St. Cloud as a Rox coach is a fun opportunity. I’m excited to be back in the Northwoods League and to be back in Central Minnesota this summer.”

Director of Baseball Operations Augie Rodriguez, Field Manager Al Newman and the Rox organization will continue to build the roster for the 2018 season ahead of the season opener on May 29.

The Rox will play their 7th season of Northwoods League Baseball in 2018. The home opener at Joe Faber Field is scheduled for Friday, June 1 at 7:05 p.m. against the Mankato MoonDogs. The home opener, presented by Coborn’s, will feature post-game fireworks. Full and Partial Season tickets and group ticket packages for the 2018 season are currently on sale. For more information regarding this release please contact the Rox front office at (320) 240-9798 or visit www.stcloudrox.com.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rox as your favorite team.