Van Tol Named New Manager of Boise Hawks
Published on December 11, 2012 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Boise Hawks News Release
CHICAGO, Ill. - Gary Van Tol has been named the tenth manager in the history of the Boise Hawks, as the Chicago Cubs announced their 2013 minor league field staff this afternoon.
Van Tol, who has served as the Hawks bench coach for the past five seasons, replaces Mark Johnson, who will assume managerial duties with the Class-A Kane County Cougars. Van Tol will be joined by two other members of the 2012 staff - hitting coach Bill Buckner and pitching coach David Rosario.
A native of Pincher Creek, Alberta, Van Tol has served as the director of the Idaho Cubs, a local prep travel team, for the past three years, along with associate scout duties with the Cubs. The graduate of Gonzaga University has been an assistant coach at his alma mater, along with the University of Portland, while serving as the head coach at both Centralia Community College in Washington in 1995 and locally at Treasure Valley Community College from 1997-2001.
"I am honored for the opportunity to become the manager of the Boise Hawks," said Van Tol. "I am excited for the privilege to work here in Boise and to be in the trenches with Bill Buckner and David Rosario this summer. The Cubs organization has outstanding young talent and it will be another fun summer for the fans at Memorial Stadium."
Buckner is in his second year with the Hawks - a year after his hitters led the Northwest League in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, triples, and home runs. The 22-year veteran served as the Chicago White Sox hitting coach in 1996 and 1997 and was the manager of the Brockton Rox of the CanAm League in 2011. Buckner played for the Cubs from 1977-84 - winning the 1980 National League batting crown and earning a spot in the 1981 All Star Game. A resident of Boise, Buckner played in 2199 major league games with the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, and Royals, hitting .289 with 174 career home runs and 1,208 RBI. Buckner played in two World Series' - in 1974 with the Dodgers and 1986 with the Red Sox.
Rosario returns to the Hawks for the third-straight season as pitching coach, having served in the same capacity in 2005, 2006, and 2009. A native of Manati, Puerto Rico, Rosario helped Boise pitchers to their lowest team ERA in five seasons in 2011, posting a 4.15 ERA, while last season, his pitchers tossed six shutouts. Rosario pitched professionally in the Cubs, Yankees, and Expos' farm systems from 1986-94 and has coached in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
The Cubs have also announced that Jonathan Fierro will serve as the Hawks athletic trainer, while a strength and conditioning coach will be announced at a later date.
Five other former Boise Hawks will coach in the Cubs system this year - former trainer Nick Frangella will serve in the same capacity with the AAA Iowa Cubs; former pitching coach Jeff Fassero will be with the AA Tennessee Smokies; former manager and hitting coach Tom Beyers will be the hitting coach at Kane County; former hitting coach Ricardo Medina will be the hitting coach with the rookie-level Mesa Cubs; and former Hawks player Oscar Bernard will be the hitting coach for the Dominican Summer League Cubs.
The defending Northwest League East Division champions will open the 76-game 2013 season on June 14 with a three-game series at Eugene, with the home opener scheduled for June 17 against Salem-Keizer. Season-tickets, group packages, and bonus-books are available by calling 322-5000.
Previous Managers -
1987 Darrel Thomas
1988-89 Mal Fichman
1990-00 Tom Kotchman
2001-03, '06 Steve McFarland
2004, 2007-08 Tom Beyers
2005 Trey Forkerway
2009 Casey Kopitzke
2010 Jody Davis
2011-12 Mark Johnson
Northwest League Stories from December 11, 2012
- Emeralds Announce Wattier Fundraising Ticket Package - Eugene Emeralds
- Van Tol Named New Manager of Boise Hawks - Boise Hawks
- AquaSox Announce Coaching Staff - Everett AquaSox
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
