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Murray Wilson named Aviators new field manger

December 3, 2004 - Central Baseball League (Central League)
Coastal Bend Aviators News Release


ROBSTOWN, TX – The Coastal Bend Aviators announced today that they have hired Murray Wilson as the teams new field manger for the 2005 campaign. The team will be hosting a "Meet & Greet" event January 17th at Fairgrounds Field from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM to allow the media, community members, and all Aviator fans an opportunity to meet and greet the new skipper.

"When our committee started the process of searching for our new field manager back in October, "the amount of interest for the job was tremendous, as we received a ton of resumes from numerous qualified candidates, commented Aviators General Manager Shane Tritz,"

Murray Wilson is no stranger to the Central Baseball League playoffs as he helped guide the Amarillo Dillas to the Central Baseball League playoffs during the 2003 & 2004 season. During the 2003 season, he served as the teams hitting coach to start the season while eventually serving as the team's interim field manager during the second-half of the season. For his efforts during the 2003 season, Wilson was named the full-time Field Manager for the Amarillo Dillas in 2004, a year in which he once again lead the Dillas back to the playoffs for a second time in as many years. Murray Wilson will be the third manager in Aviators franchise history and will take over for Glenn Wilson, who was not offered a contract to return to the Aviators after the 2004 season.

During the 2004 season, he was very instrumental in the development of some of the league's top hitters. Under the direction of Murray, the Amarillo Dillas finished the season with an astonishing team batting average of .281, which ranked them 3rd in the Central Baseball League in 2004. 1B Dan Meier, just missed the league batting title in 2004 with a robust .340 average, while collecting 117 hits and driving in 63 RBI's. Meier was joined on the leader boards by fellow teammates Dallas McMann (.328), Jeremy Todd (.322), while OF Benny Craig led the CBL with a whopping (20) home runs and proved to be four of the Central Baseball League's top hitters in 2004.

Wilson's professional playing career began in 1978 when he was drafted as a shortstop by the Seattle Mariners. He played in their farm system for two years before playing the 1981 and 1982 seasons in the San Francisco and Philadelphia organizations.

Wilson, who makes his off-season home in Salt Lake City, Utah stated "I am thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of the Coastal Bend Aviators organization, as I was blown away with the energy and excitement the Aviator fans displayed every time we came to play the last two seasons. I am looking forward to putting my team on the field and having the opportunity to play in front of all the great fans. I am a stand up guy that expects a lot from my players and coaching staff on and off the field and can assure the fans that as a team we will go out there every night and give it are all for nine innings."

"We feel the future of Aviators baseball in the Coastal Bend is bright as ever and will continue to grow at a rapid pace under the direction of Murray. Murray is a perfect fit for our organization as he is a true professional on and off the field and has proven in back to back seasons he has what it takes to lead this team to the next level. We are very confident in his ability to bring some top quality players to all the fans in the Coastal Bend and is also someone that gains instant respect from his players and everyone around him." commented Aviators General Manager Shane Tritz

Murray will immediately jump into assembling the Aviators 2005 coaching staff and roster in an attempt to continue his streak and guide the 2005 Aviators to their first playoff appearance. He is committed to putting together a championship caliber team in Coastal Bend and will start to prepare for the season opener which is slated for May 5th at Fairgrounds Field against the defending Central Baseball League champion Edinburg Roadrunners.

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Central Baseball League Stories from December 3, 2004


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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