Hops announce coaching staff

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- The Class A Short-Season Hillsboro Hops announced their 2013 coaching staff today. The Hops will be led by manager Audo Vicente, who has managed in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for five seasons.

Vicente will be joined by former Cy Young Award winner and 13-year MLB vet Doug Drabek as the club's pitching coach. J.R. House, who played parts of five seasons with the Pirates, Astros and Orioles will begin his second season as hitting coach following a promotion from Rookie-level Missoula.

Hillsboro native and former Colorado Rockies catcher Ben Petrick will serve on the Hops coaching staff as consultant for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Petrick will assist the young men playing for the Hops in acclimating to life as a professional baseball player.

The Hillsboro Hops will play their first season in Oregon after moving from Yakima, Wash. The Yakima Bears went 36-40 overall last season and 21-17 in the first half, clinching a first-half playoff berth, the first in club history.

The Hops will begin their 38-game regular season on Fri, June 14, with a three-game series against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in Salem. The Hops will make their home debut in their new state-of-the-art stadium in Hillsboro on Mon, June 17, when they play host to Eugene Emeralds for a three-game series. For a complete 2013 Hillsboro Hops schedule, please visit www.hillsborohops.com online.

Hillsboro Hops season tickets are on sale now by calling 503.640.0887, or by going online to www.hillsborohops.com.

About the Hillsboro Hops
The Hillsboro Hops are the Class A Short-Season affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. The team's season runs from mid-June to early September. The franchise relocated to Hillsboro in 2012 and will begin play in 2013 in a new state-of-the-art 4,500 seat stadium. The Hops are part of the 55-year old Northwest League, which includes teams in Boise, Eugene, Salem-Keizer, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Everett and Vancouver, B.C. Major League stars who rose to prominence via the Northwest League include Ken Griffey Jr., Felix Hernandez, Edgar Martinez, Reggie Jackson, Ozzie Smith, Rickey Henderson and Tony Gwynn. Follow the Hops on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HillsboroHops and follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HillsboroHops.