Hart, Murray join Sand Gnats' staff
Hart, who spent last season as hitting coach for the Washington Nationals' Double-A affiliate in Harrisburg, enters his 22nd season as a manager or coach in professional baseball.
Prior to his work with the Senators, Hart worked for two seasons as hitting coach at Triple-A New Orleans. In 2005, the Zephyrs finished with a .290 batting average, which ranked third in the Pacific Coast League. As a player, he spent 12 years in the Minor Leagues with seven different organizations.
Murray joins the Sand Gnats coaching staff after spending the last two seasons as pitching coach for the Kingsport Mets. Last season's Kingsport pitching staff finished the season with a 3.70 ERA, good enough for third in the Appalachian League. A Los Alamitos, Calif., native, Murray was selected by the Mets in the 10th round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft out of San Diego State University. He played in one game for the Mets in 1999 before being traded to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Glendon Rusch.
Hart and Murray will join strength coach Orlando Crance and head trainer Matt Thayer on manager Tim Teufel's 2007 coaching staff.
The Sand Gnats open the season on April 5 at home with a 7:05 p.m. Thirsty Thursday game against the Asheville Tourists. Tickets and a complete schedule are available at www.sandgnats.com.