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Biloxi Shuckers

Matt Deal Named PBATS Southern League Trainer of the Year

September 15, 2022 - Southern League (SL)
Biloxi Shuckers News Release


BILOXI, MS - Biloxi Shuckers Head Athletic Trainer Matt Deal has been named the Southern League Trainer of the Year for 2022 by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS). It is the first time a Shuckers' trainer has been recognized as the league's Trainer of the Year and the first honor of Deal's career.

"It's an honor to be recognized by my peers here in the Southern League," said Deal. "To have the other people in this league think that highly of me is an honor. I couldn't have done it without Assistant Athletic Trainer Matt Pawlik, and I was just in shock when I was told. It's been a great staff to work with here in Biloxi, the players are fun to work with and it's been a good year."

The PBATS Athletic Trainer of the Year is voted on each year by members of the athletic training staffs across each individual league in Minor League Baseball. Deal is now eligible for the PBATS Minor League Athletic Trainer of the Year award which will be voted on by the full membership of PBATS at the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, California.

"Matt has been incredibly reliable for us this season," said Biloxi Shuckers Manager Mike Guerrero. "We've dealt with a lot of injuries this year, so Matt has gotten a lot of experience, but he's put us in a great spot every day and been consistent with our players."

"He helps so much with routine building and just letting guys drive the bus on what sort of treatments they need and how they can best help each individual guy," said Biloxi Shuckers pitching coach Nick Childs. "He's very knowledgeable and easy to talk to and very athlete centric; the care for the athlete comes first. That's something we share and, in that sense, it makes working with him very easy."

2022 is Deal's first season with Biloxi and eighth as an athletic trainer in the Brewers' organization. He first joined the Brewers in 2015, working in the Dominican Summer League before moving to the Arizona League in 2016. Deal then spent two seasons as the head athletic trainer for the Rookie Level Helena Brewers in 2017 and 2018 before spending 2019 and 2021 with the Carolina Mudcats. A native of Evergreen Park, Illinois, Deal attended Marquette University where he received his degree in Athletic Training and interned with the Brewers' during his final two years at Marquette.

The Shuckers continue their final series of the year on Thursday night in Pensacola. LHP Brandon Knarr (3-6, 3.90) gets the start for Biloxi against Wahoos' LHP Patrick Monteverde (1-0, 6.12) for a 6:35 pm first pitch. The game can be seen on MiLB.TV and heard locally on WGCM AM 1240/FM 100.9 or online.

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