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Winston-Salem Dash

Esmay to Manage Winston-Salem in 2015

January 21, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Jan. 21, 2015) - In conjunction with the Chicago White Sox, the Winston-Salem Dash have announced that longtime college coach Tim Esmay will manage the Dash in 2015. Esmay is the 44th manager in Winston-Salem's 102-year history of baseball. He will be joined by pitching coach J.R. Perdew, hitting coach Charlie Poe, athletic trainer Josh Fallin and strength and conditioning coach Shawn Powell.

Esmay will manage in the professional ranks for the first time, but he boasts extensive experience in the collegiate ranks. Following a successful playing career at Scottsdale Community College and Arizona State University, Esmay was an assistant coach for six seasons before netting the head coach position at the University of Utah. He spent eight seasons with the Utes, and he became the first head coach in school history to lead the program to a Western Athletic Conference division title.

In 2005, Esmay returned to Arizona State and acted as an assistant coach for five seasons. He took over the Sun Devils' head coaching position in 2010, during which he led ASU to a 52-10 record, the number one national seed in the NCAA Tournament and a spot in the College World Series. During his five-year tenure as Arizona State's head coach, Esmay posted a 201-94-1 (.681) record and always finished at least 11 games above the .500 mark.

For a fourth consecutive season, Perdew will instruct the Dash's pitching staff in 2015. Since Perdew rejoined Winston-Salem for his third tenure with the franchise in 2012, the club possesses a team earned run average of 3.85, which is third-best in the Carolina League. This will be the Short Gap, W.Va., native's 19th season in the White Sox organization, with nine of them spent in the Triad (2002-04, 2006-07, 2012-present).

Poe made his managerial debut with rookie-level Great Falls in 2014. The Voyagers returned to the postseason for an eighth consecutive season under the tutelage of Poe, who was the club's hitting coach from 2011-13. From 2003-09, Poe was a hitting coach within the Blue Jays system. A sixth-round pick by the White Sox in 1990, he played 12 Minor League seasons with the Sox, Athletics and Padres.

Fallin returns for a third consecutive campaign with the Dash. He also spent 10 years as the head trainer in Winston-Salem from 2001-10, a run that preceded two seasons with Double-A Birmingham. The Lewisville resident earned last year's Carolina League Trainer of the Year Award, the fourth league-wide honor of his career.

Powell is back with the Dash for the first time since 2012, when he helped Winston-Salem post the best record in full-season Minor League Baseball. He spent the last two seasons with Double-A Birmingham. Powell was the New York Yankees' strength and conditioning coach from 1989-99, and he has worked with the NBA's Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets in various capacities.

"Tim Esmay's experience and results are incredibly impressive," Dash team president Geoff Lassiter said. "I am confident that our players, staff and community will enjoy working with Tim throughout the 2015 season. Plus, it will be great to see familiar faces like J.R., Josh and Shawn back in the home dugout at BB&T Ballpark."

Tommy Thompson, Winston-Salem's 2014 skipper, will manage the White Sox Low-A affiliate, the Kannapolis Intimidators, this year. Gary Ward, last year's hitting coach, will possess the same role with the rookie-level Arizona League White Sox.

The Dash's 2015 season begins on Thursday, April 9, in Frederick, Md., while BB&T Ballpark's sixth season kicks off on Thursday, April 16, with a 7 p.m. game against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Cubs' new High-A affiliate. Full- and partial-season tickets are on sale now, and fans can purchase their seats for all of the excitement in 2015 by calling (336) 714-2287 or visiting wsdash.com.

The Winston-Salem Dash are the Class-A Advanced minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 336-714-2287 or visit www.wsdash.com.

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