Bluefield Ridge Runners

GENERAL INFORMATION

Address.......................... Bowen Field, Stadium Drive, ..........................................................Bluefield, WV 24701 Phone: ..................................................... (304) 324-1326 Website: ..... mlb.com/appalachian-league/bluefield TW/IG: .................................................@goridgerunners Facebook: ............................Bluefield Ridge Runners League Championships........1949, 1950, 1954, 1957, ...........................................1962, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1982, .......................................................1992,1996, 1997, 2001 Stadium........................................................Bowen Field Stadium Built..............................................................1939 Stadium Capacity .................................................. 2,250 Stadium Dimensions (LF-CF-RF)...........335-399-335

FRONT OFFICE STAFF

Operated By ..................Bluefield Baseball Club, Inc. Farm Director.........................Charlie Wilson (Toronto) President ....................................... George McGonagle Vice President...........................................David Kersey General Manager ........................... Rocky Malamisura Treasurer.........................................................Bill Looney Secretary ..............................................Madeline Clarke Counsel.....................................................Brian Cochran Head Groundskeeper .................................Mike White

GAME INFORMATION

PA Announcer ........................................................... TBD Broadcast Announcer ...............................Zack Helton Broadcast Network...............................................online No. of Games Broadcast ............................Home - 34 Official scorer: .........................................Vonda Wilson Standard Game Times ...........................Mon-Sat 6:30 .............................................................................. Sun 5:30 Newspaper.......................... Bluefield Daily Telegraph Sports Editor..........George Thwaite, (304) 327-2813

NOTABLE ALUMNI

Mark Belanger...........................................................1962 Don Baylor .................................................................1967 Bobby Grich...............................................................1967 Johnny Oates............................................................1967 Enos Cabell................................................................1969 Doug DeCinces.........................................................1970 Eddie Murray .............................................................1973 Cal Ripken Jr..............................................................1978 Mark Leiter .................................................................1983 Pete Harnisch............................................................1987 Arthur Rhodes...........................................................1988 Gregg Zaun............................................................... 1990 Armando Benitez......................................................1992 John Parrish...............................................................1996 Luis Matos ..................................................................1997 Daniel Cabrera........................................................ 2002 Kevin Pillar...................................................................2011 Aaron Sanchez...........................................................2011 Noah Syndergaard....................................................2011 Daniel Norris..............................................................2012 Roberto Osuna..........................................................2012 Vladimir Guerrero Jr............................................... 2016

ABOUT

The 97-year history of baseball in Bluefield continues this summer as the club joins the newly revamped Appalachian League. Most recently an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays organization since 2011, Bluefield will sport a new identity this summer as the Ridge Runners.

Reflective of the rich railroad history of the Bluefield area, the name references the fact that historic Bowen Field at Peters Park straddles the state line of Virginia and West Virginia, as did the original namesake of the team.

Beginning in 1964, the original Ridge Runner locomotive circumnavigated a one-mile loop atop East River Mountain, half in Virginia and half in West Virginia. The little train now resides just outside the right field wall of Bowen Field. On warm summer days, you can see and hear the excited passengers as the train makes its loop throughout Lottio Park.

A 13-time Applachian league champion, Bluefield most recently won the title in 2001. Notable alumni of the club include Hall of Famers Cal Ripken, Jr. and Eddie Murray, as well as current Major Leaguers Kevin Pillar, Daniel Norris, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and Noah Syndergaard.

Leading the Ridge Runners into the new Appy League will be manager Joe Oliver who has spent the past six seasons coaching in the Boston Red Sox organization following a 13-year MLB career. Joining him on the bench will be pitching coach Dennis Rasmussen, hitting coach Angel Sanchez and player development coach Garrett Schilling.

MANAGER

Joe Oliver comes to the Appalachian League following six years of managerial experience in the Boston Red Sox organization, where he recorded a 359-347 overall record. Oliver was named manager of the Lowell Spinners in 2014 before being tapped to lead the Salem Red Sox for the 2016-2018 seasons. He guided the team to two top-five finishes in the Carolina League, including a first-place finish in his first year at the helm. Most recently, he was the manager of the Portland Sea Dogs in 2019 and was set to continue in that role in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to his coaching career, Oliver spent parts of 13 seasons in the major leagues during a 19-year playing career. He was drafted in the second round of the 1983 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, making his debut for the club in 1989 before helping the team win a World Series championship one year later with the game-winning hit in game two of the series. Throughout his career, Oliver collected a .247 batting average and .690 OPS while playing with seven MLB teams from 1989-2001. DENNIS RASMUSSEN

PITCHING COACH

Dennis Rasmussen joins the Bluefield staff with 12 years of major league playing experience under his belt. Rasmussen was selected by the California Angels with the 17th overall pick of the 1980 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut in 1983 and spent his 12-year career with five different teams, including the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals. In that time, Rasmussen recorded 835 strikeouts, went 18-6 while throwing 202 innings for the Yankees in 1986, and collected a 16-10 record for the Padres over 204.2 innings on the mound in 1988. He began his coaching career in 1996 as the pitching coach for the Butte Copper Kings before working with the Charleston RiverDogs and Lowell Spinners in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Rasmussen played collegiate baseball at Creighton University where he tallied a 3.38 ERA and a school-record 84 strikeouts in 61.2 innings of work as a junior, and was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team. During his collegiate career, Rasmussen also played for the 1980 Collegiate National Team.

HITTING COACH

Angel Sanchez joins the Bluefield staff after working as a coach in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Red Sox organizations. He began his coaching career in 2015 as a bench coach for the Great Lake Loons and the Ogden Raptors before joining the Red Sox organization to serve as the first base coach for the Salem Red Sox. Most recently, Sanchez was the first base coach for the Portland Sea Dogs in 2019. Before coaching, he was selected in the 11th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals and made his Major League debut in 2006. Sanchez played in 185 Major League games across four different seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, and Chicago White Sox. During his playing career, he hit .254 with 54 RBIs. GARRETT SCHILLING

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Garrett Schilling joins the Appy League with a plethora of experience in the Bluefield community, having served as the Head JV and an Assistant Varsity Coach at Bluefield College since 2016. The former catcher also had a playing career at Bluefield College, playing his final two years of collegiate baseball for the Rams after transferring from San Diego Mesa Community College. Schilling has also served as a head coach and recruiting specialist in the Palm Springs Collegiate League since 2017.