GEHR, SKELTON RETURN TO MANAGE A'S IN 2010
2010-04-01
Chad Gehr, who a guided the Sheboygan A's to a 79-43 record over the past two years, will return to manage the semi-pro baseball club again this year.
C.J. Skelton, who has been Gehr's right-hand man, also returns to his coaching duties.
Gehr led the A's to a 46-20 season in 2008 and a 33-23 season last year.
The A's rolled to the Northeastern Wisconsin League's regular season championship last year, but were eliminated by Green Bay in two straight games in the first round of the playoffs. Red-hot at the end of the season, Green Bay made it to the finals before losing out to Menasha.
The A's finished sixth in the Wisconsin State League.
Gehr's 46 wins in his first season tied for the second most victories registered by a Sheboygan A's ball club. The A's were 49-9 in 1991 under Dave Moyer, 46-16 in 2001 under Marc Marizzaldi and 46-20 in 2002 under Mike Steed.
Gehr served as bench coach for two seasons before he was named to manage the club in 2008. He has been with the A's for eight seasons as an infielder and catcher. He played his high school ball with Sheboygan South and the city's American Legion club.
"I'm looking forward to getting back at it," Gehr said. "This is a great program to be a part of."
C.J. Skelton, who has been with the club for the past five seasons returns to serve as Gehr's bench and first base coach. Skelton, a catcher and outfielder before suffering career-ending injuries, played at Sheboygan North and with the city Legion team.
"C.J. is an extremely important member of our organization," Gehr said. "I'm glad he is back."
"Chad has been successful despite going through two years of what was essentially on-the-job training," general manager Denny Moyer said. "He was young and inexperienced when we threw him in the hot water. He responded remarkably well and he's ready now. It is amazing how much experience 120 tough, pressure-packed games can provide. I'm really looking forward to this season."
The A's are entering their 48th season. They open at Wildwood Park on May 27 against the Two Rivers Polar Bears.
This year's schedule includes three special events included on the season ticket package: the July 9 Northeastern Wisconsin-Southeastern Wisconsin All-Star game, the July 15 baseball history night featuring the Greenbush Dead Citys and the July 26 invasion of the Heroes of the Diamond, the U.S. Military All-Stars.
"We are looking forward to a great season and we are anxious to share it with the area's baseball fans," Moyer said. "You can see good baseball and have a whole lot of family fun at Wildwood Park for a truly modest price. We're hoping fans will start to realize that."
