River City Rascals prepare for second season

by Raymond Mileur
Published on May 12, 2000 under Frontier League (FL)

by Raymond Mileur

The Frontier League's River City Rascals prepare for their home and season opener, which is coming up on Wednesday, May the 31st, at the T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Missouri.

The Rascals broke the Frontier League's attendance record in 1999, the team's inaugural season by drawing 151,661 to the new ballpark. The Rascals finished the season with a 39-45 record, just four games out of first place in the Western Division.

Rascals General Manager and Frontier League Executive of the Year, Pat Daly said, "We hope to build upon our success from last year, not only off the field, but on the field, too, and work toward a championship."

The Rascals have a new Skipper this year. Jack Clark, the former St. Louis Cardinal slugger and fan favorite, was the Manager last season. He stepped down in January to accept a hitting coach position with the San Bernardino Stampede, the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced Class-A team in the California League.

Former St. Louis Cardinals product and current Southwestern Illinois College (formally known as Belleville Area College) head baseball coach Neil Fiala has been named as the new Manager of the River City Rascals. Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Randy Martz will assist Fiala as the team's new pitching coach. Martz replaces last year's coach Greg Mathews, the former Cardinal's pitcher who declined to return to the organization in order to spend more time developing the Greg Matthew's Training Centers in the metropolitan St. Louis area.

New coaches for the second season also include Mike Barger and Rick Fiala. Dick Schofield, Jr., will not return for a second season after serving last season as an infield and first base coach.

The Rascals coaching staff the first season brought credibility to the team mostly because Jack Clark and Greg Matthews were both former St. Louis Cardinals and fan favorites, having played together on the Cards 1987 National League Championship Team. Dick Schofield from nearby Springfield, Illinois was a 13-year Major League veteran who played in over 1300 games as a good defensive infielder for the White Sox, Mets, Bluejays, Dodgers and Angels.

The 1999 staff all spent time in the major leagues and brought a wealth of knowledge to the Rascals in their first season, and their presence contributed to River City's attendance figures. I know because I personally attended games just to see, Jack Clark, Greg Mathews and Dick Scofield, Jr, in baseball uniforms again.

As in 1999, this year's field staff for the Rascals have all spent time in Major League Baseball and bring a great understanding of the game. "I think this helps solidify our commitment as an organization to bring the best we can to the area," said Daly.

The new Rascals Manager Neil Fiala has transformed a floundering Belleville Area/Southwestern Illinois College baseball program into one of the best in the country since taking over there in August of 1993. The past five seasons Fiala's club has won 40 or more games each year, been ranked among the top 20 teams in the country and has won four consecutive conference championships. His record at BAC includes five consecutive sectional championships and four consecutive conference championships. In six seasons as head coach, 53 former players have signed professionally and 10 have reached the big leagues.

Fiala spent one season as an assistant coach within the New York Yankees farm system in 1990 and three seasons as assistant coach at the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana from 1991-1993.

Fiala, 43, signed and played professionally in the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds organizations as an infielder from 1977 through 1982 and played briefly in the big leagues during the 1981 season with the Cardinals. The St. Louis native attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale from 1976-77 and played on the Saluki team that finished third in the 1977 College World Series.

Fiala's record over the past five seasons is 473-95 for a winning percentage of .723.

Spring training begins on May 19 at T.R. Hughes Ballpark and the Rascals home and season opener is Wednesday, May 31st at 7:05 p.m. versus the Evansville Otters.

With Fiala at the helm expect the Rascals to make a run for the Western Division title in just their second season.

Frontier League Stories from May 12, 2000

• River City Rascals prepare for second season - OSC Original by Raymond Mileur

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