Vermont names 2008 field staff

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A former Major Leaguer as manager, the return of their pitching coach and a former player coming back as hitting coach highlight the Field Staff for the 2008 Vermont Lake Monsters, the team announced today as the Washington Nationals begin to announce their Minor League coaching staffs for the upcoming season.

Ramon Aviles (ah-vil-ez) will manage the 2008 Lake Monsters in his 38th season in professional baseball, while Rusty Meacham returns as Vermont pitching coach for the second straight season. Jason Camilli, who played with the Vermont Expos back in 1995, returns to Centennial Field for his first season as the hitting coach for the Lake Monsters.

Aviles spent parts for four seasons in the Major Leagues, debuting with the Boston Red Sox in 1977 and then playing for three years with Philadelphia (1979-81). A member of the 1980 World Series Champion Phillies, Aviles did not play in the Series after scoring a run in the NLCS. For his career, Aviles hit .268 (51-for-190) with 21 runs, nine doubles, two homers and 24 RBI in 117 career games.

After his playing career, Aviles spent 16 years as a coach in the Phillies Organization, including two seasons as Manager of the Batavia Clippers (now Muckdogs) of the New York-Penn league in 1991 and 1992. He also managed the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 1999 and 2000, then the Phillies' Single-A affiliate in Clearwater in 2001.

Aviles, a native of Puerto Rico who turns 56 in January, comes to the Nationals organization after managing in the Milwaukee Brewers system with the Single-A West Virginia Power in 2005 and Brevard County Manatees in 2006.

Meacham oversaw a Lake Monsters pitching staff in 2007 that finished with a 3.81 ERA, the lowest by a Vermont team since 2002 and sixth-lowest in the team's 14 years. Lake Monster hurlers also struckout a franchise record 605 batters last season.

Camilli has spent the last three seasons as the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Nationals. A third-round selection in the 1994 Draft by Montreal, Camilli spent seven seasons in the Expos organization. He hit .243 (59-for-243) with 37 runs, 10 doubles, one homer and 21 RBI in 63 games for Vermont in 1995.

The Lake Monsters 2008 season begins on June 17th when Vermont hosts the Oneonta Tigers in the New York-Penn League opener at historic Centennial Field. 2008 Season Tickets and Mini-Packages are available on the Lake Monsters website at www.vermontlakemonsters.com or by phone at (802) 655-4200.