Drillers’ Cole, Neely To Return; Schedule Set
The Tulsa Drillers and the Colorado Rockies announced recently that Stu Cole will return as the Drillers manager in 2008. It was also announced that pitching coach Bo McLaughlin will return to the Drillers and that former Texas League player Dave Hajek will serve as the team’s hitting coach. A third returnee, Austin O’Shea, will be back as the team’s trainer.
For Cole, it will be his third season as manager of the Drillers. He will join Bobby Jones as the only managers in franchise history to lead the Drillers for more than two seasons. Tulsa has qualified for the Texas League playoffs in each of Cole’s two seasons in charge.
Prior to becoming a manager, the Charlotte native served six seasons as a coach in the Colorado system. He also enjoyed a nine-year professional playing career, reaching the major leagues as an infielder with the Kansas City Royals in 1987.
Broadcasts Set
The Tulsa Drillers and Clear Channel Radio announced the Drillers 2008 radio broadcasts will again be heard on Sports Radio 1430, The Buzz. It will mark the 23rd consecutive season that the Drillers and Clear Channel have partnered on the game broadcasts. It will be the fourth straight season that The Buzz has been the radio home for Drillers Baseball.
The club also announced that Mark Neely would return in 2008 for his 13th season as the play-by-play voice of the Drillers. Neely is a two-time winner of the Tulsa Sportscaster of the Year Award and is currently doing work for the new Big Ten Network.
Schedule Set
The Tulsa Drillers 2008 Texas League schedule has been finalized with the team opening play on Thursday, April 3 in Corpus Christi. Following a six-game road trip, Tulsa’s home opener at Drillers Stadium will take place on Thursday, April 10 against the Hooks. It will be the beginning of a six-game homestand.
The Drillers will again play a 140-game Texas League schedule that is split into two 70-game halves. The second half of the schedule will begin on June 18.
Twenty-nine of Tulsa’s 70 home games during the regular season will be played on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
The home schedule is busy early with 14 of season’s first 24 games being played at Drillers Stadium. The home slate includes 14 games in April; 14 in May; 12 in June; 17 in July and 13 in August.
The standard starting times for Monday through Saturday home games will again be 7:05 p.m. All Sunday home games will begin at 2:05 p.m. throughout the season.
There will be four weekday, afternoon home games and two morning games. The afternoon games will be played on Wednesday, May 14; Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day); Wednesday, June 11; and Monday, June 23. The two morning games are on Tuesday, April 15 and Monday, April 28 and will begin at 10:05a.m.
There are no pre-scheduled doubleheaders either at home or on the road this season.
Updated 01-22-2008
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