FL Florence Y'alls

Rumfield Leads Freedom 2009 Coaching Staff

February 19, 2009 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release


FLORENCE, KY - The 2009 Florence Freedom coaching staff will feature a little bit of family flavor, a 'long lost prodigal son returning' kind of feel, and a lifetime 'baseball guru' as the skipper calls him.

Manager Toby Rumfield, hitting coach Greg Stone and pitching coach Bill Browett will all be new to the Freedom this year in one way or another. All three will make the transition from being a part of a River City Rascals team that went 47-49 last season.

For Rumfield, last season was bitter-sweet. Bitter because his team finished two games under .500 and four games out of a playoff berth. Sweet because in his second year as a manager he added 11 more wins than the previous year and wound up being able to come home, Freedom General Manager Kari Rumfield is his wife, to manage this season.

"I've learned a lot these past two years about what it takes to win in this league," Rumfield said. "I believe the core group of players we have going into this season with the Freedom is as strong as any I've had in this league."

This year will mark Rumfield's nineteenth season in professional baseball. He got his start within the Cincinnati Reds organization when they selected him in the second round of the 1991 amateur baseball draft.

"It's going to be really nice to be able to come home each night when we're playing here and see my wife and kids," Rumfield said. "Last year in River City I wasn't able to do that. But now I really have to make sure we win because Kari gets more upset than I do when my team's not doing well."

Rumfield will have the comfort of being able to work with faces he has grown accustom to the past two seasons. One being his hitting coach Stone. In the 2007-08 off-season, Rumfield sent Jeff Landry to the Freedom for left-handed pitcher Scott Fogelson and the middle infielder Stone.

Stone left the Freedom as their all time leader in games played, runs scored, at-bats, hits, sacrifices and walks. When he returned wearing a Rascals uniform on August 2, he was given a standing ovation by the Freedom faithful.

"Yeah it's going to be weird not being able to go out there and play and I'm sure there will be times that I'll wish I was playing instead of coaching," said Stone. "But I feel really fortunate about being able to coach with the Freedom and return to these fans that have been so good to me."

Stone will have lofty goals to live up to this season. The Freedom ranked third in the Frontier League in average, hitting .280, and first in homeruns with 128.

Rumfield also brings with him what he calls a "baseball lifer." Browett brings 23 years of coaching experience to the Freedom as the team's pitching coach. The Troy, Missouri native spent the last two seasons with Rumfield at River City and has spent the majority of his time coaching at the high school and college levels. Browett has developed a special admiration with the Frontier League these past two seasons.

"What I love about this league is the opportunity it allows for the players to dream," Browett said. "It keeps it alive whether it be the dream of making it into affiliated baseball or the dream to get back there. I feel very comfortable working with Toby and I was very grateful when he decided to bring me with him to Florence."

Rumfield feels like he made a good decision as well.

"Bill's a guy who's been around the game forever," said Rumfield. "I really liked the way he handled himself with the players at River City and they definitely listened to what he had to say. It was just a good fit to bring him here to Florence."

Browett has had quite the off-season to go along with his new position with the Freedom. He became a grandfather in January as his oldest child Ashley and her husband gave birth to a son. He also saw his son Adam transfer to Austin Peay where he will be playing baseball this spring.

"It'll be a long summer being away from my wife Jan and family," Browett said. "But over time my family has learned that working in baseball is a grind and I'm looking forward to a winning season this year with the Freedom."

A winning season is just one of the many goals for the Freedom organization, who will celebrate their fifth anniversary in 2009. But this staff also has other goals, cementing itself as the first to lead a Freedom team to the postseason.

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