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 Southern Illinois Miners

Miners' Coaching Staff to Return in 2016

January 6, 2016 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release


Marion, Ill. (January 6, 2016) - The Southern Illinois Miners announce that their 2015 coaching staff will return to the club in 2016. Pitching & strategy coach Preston Vancil, hitting coach and 2015 Frontier League Coach of the Year Pat O'Sullivan, assistant coach and advance scout John Lakin, instructor Ralph Santana and advance scout Chris Colwell will once again serve on manager Mike Pinto's staff for the team's 10th anniversary season.

"I am very excited to have all our guys back with us," Pinto said. "Admittedly, I am prejudiced, but I believe we have the best, hardest-working staff out there. Our guys are extremely dedicated to the growth of our players, and to our constant goal of bringing winning baseball to the fans of the Miners."

Preston Vancil begins his third season in Southern Illinois as pitching coach in 2016 and his fourth with the team overall after finishing his playing career with the club in 2013. Under his watch, the Miners have ranked near the top of the league in several categories, finishing second in the league in team ERA in both 2014 and 2015 while pacing the league with a team-record 808 strikeouts in 2015. The Miners' ERA the last two seasons have also been the two best marks in team history, while Southern Illinois has produced the league's Pitcher of the Year in each of his first two years (Matt Bywater- 2014, Adam Lopez- 2015).

The reigning Frontier League Coach of the Year, Pat O'Sullivan returns for his second season as the Miners' hitting coach in 2016. After coming to Southern Illinois from Rockford last year, "Sully" helped guide the Miners to a .270 team batting average that ranked third in the Frontier League while Southern Illinois was also top-5 in the league in runs scored. The team also had a position player in outfielder Michael Earley make the postseason all-star team, the first such selection since 2012 for the Miners.

John Lakin returns to the Miners in 2016 for his seventh year in Marion on Mike Pinto's staff. The veteran assistant coach will also once again serve as an advance scout for the team. Having also spent much of his professional life in law enforcement, Lakin also serves as the sheriff in Madison County in addition to his duties with the Miners, a position he has held since December 2014. He was also chief of police in Glen Carbon, Illinois for three-and-a-half years after serving in the Madison County sheriff's department for 23 years.

One of the Miners' first stars on the field in 2007 when he was the postseason all-star second baseman in the Frontier League, Ralph Santana begins his tenth season with the organization, the ninth on the coaching staff and the second as an instructor. He has also served as the Miners' bench coach (2014) and hitting coach (2008-2013) after playing for Mike Pinto in Marion and also with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association. Santana set the single-season and career batting average mark in his lone season as a Miners player, hitting .342 in the team's inaugural season and leading the league with 126 total hits.

Chris Colwell also returns to the Miners' staff in 2016 to begin his third year as an advance scout for the team. An active associate scout who has also worked with the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros organizations, Colwell will once again provide the team with valuable information to help the team on the field in the coming season.

Be sure to follow the Miners this offseason at southernillinoisminers.com and also on social media on Facebook and Twitter (@SIMiners) as they prepare for 2016!

The Southern Illinois Miners are the back-to-back Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at 618-998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.


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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.

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