Sliders Hire Greg Jelks as Field Manager

Published on February 8, 2007 under Frontier League (FL)
Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti News Release


Slippery Rock, PA - Former Major Leaguer Greg Jelks has been signed as field manager for the Slippery Rock Sliders' inaugural season, the team announced this afternoon. Greg will be entering his sixth season as a field manager in the Frontier League, having spent the past five years at the helm of the Evansville Otters. During this span, Greg became the winningest manager in team history (236-223 career record) and led the Otters to three appearances in the Frontier League Championship Series, including winning the 2006 Frontier League title.

Greg Jelks has a lengthy career in professional baseball, having been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a non-drafted free agent out of Gadsden State Community College in 1980. A third baseman, Greg spent nine years in Philadelphia's organization, including appearing in ten games for the Phillies in 1987. He concluded his domestic playing career at the Triple-A level for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1989, then spent two seasons playing in Italy. Greg will be the only Frontier League manager with Major League playing experience for the 2007 season.

Greg moved to Australia in 1992 to play for the Perth Heat of the Australian Winter League, and became an Australian citizen in 1995. Greg returned to the United States in 2000 to serve as the hitting coach for the Catskill Cougars of the Northeast League, filling the same role for the Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League in 2001. His managerial career began with Evansville for the 2002 season.

Along with his independent baseball coaching background, Greg has been heavily involved in International Baseball. He was a player on the Australian National Team from 1997-99 and served as their hitting coach for the 2000 Olympics. He served as Australia's defensive coach for the World Baseball Classic last spring.

For the past eight years, Greg has split his time between Perth in Western Australia and the United States. He served as field manager for the Perth Heat for the past two years, winning the Claxton Shield tournament (Australia's national championship) each season. Greg is also the field manager for the Morley Eagles, who are in first place in the Western Australia State League with a 20-4-1 record.

"Greg was the first person whom we identified as a candidate for our managerial position, and we have been consulting with him over the past few months on the player signings we have made," said Sliders' general manager Steve Tahsler. "Being able to bring in somebody with his knowledge of and success in the Frontier League is a huge boost for an expansion team."

"I'm thrilled to be part of the return of professional baseball to Butler County," commented Jelks. "Steve and I worked well together in assembling a championship ballclub in Evansville, and with the assistance of Jeff Messer and Rich Pasquale in Slippery Rock, I have very high expectations for the upcoming season."

"I'm a firm believer that strength up the middle defensively is the key to winning in the Frontier League," added Jelks. "I like aggressive hitters who put the ball in play and value a good command of the strike zone above anything else for my pitching staff."

The Slippery Rock Sliders are a unique partnership between the Frontier League and Slippery Rock University with student interns holding most of the traditional front office positions academic coursework directly integrated into the start-up of the club. The Sliders will begin their inaugural season on Wednesday, May 23, at the Washington Wild Things. The home opener will be on Tuesday, May 29, against the Florence Freedom. 32 home games will be at Jack Critchfield Park on the campus of Slippery Rock University.

Additional information about Slippery Rock Professional Baseball can be found at www.srprobaseball.com or by contacting the team at 724-738-4903.

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Frontier League Stories from February 8, 2007


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