Emeralds announce coaching staff
Riddoch has managed the Emeralds for seven seasons (1975-76, 1978-81, 2007) posting 261 wins, three division titles (1975, 1978, 1980) and two Northwest League championships (1975, 1980). Last season, Riddoch passed Hugh Luby (235) to become the Emeralds all-time managerial wins leader. Riddoch managed the San Diego Padres from 1990-92 posting a 200-194 record over parts of three seasons. Riddoch was inducted into the Eugene Emeralds Hall of Fame during the 1999 season.
Since leaving Eugene in 1981, Riddoch has held a variety of positions in baseball, mainly in the areas of player development and scouting. In addition to his major league managerial experience, Riddoch has twice been a Major League bench coach, first with the Padres (1987-89) and then with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998-99). Riddoch was Director of Player Development for the Cincinnati Reds (1985) and the Milwaukee Brewers (1999-03). Riddoch made a successful return to the NWL with Spokane in 2005 leading the Indians to the Northwest League championship. Riddoch resides in Longmont, Colorado.
Dave Rajsich returns to Eugene for a third season as the Ems pitching coach. Rajsich helped Ems hurlers in 2003-04 and parts of last season after Tom Bradley took a leave of absence from the ballclub. Rajsich joined the San Diego organization in 2000 and spent two seasons in Double-A Mobile and one in Triple-A Portland before arriving in Eugene. Rajsich spent 2005 with Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore and the last two campaigns with rookie-level Peoria of the Arizona League. Signed by the New York Yankees in 1974, Rajsich made his Major League debut with New York in 1978 and had a career record of 3-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 55 games with the Yankees and Texas Rangers. Rajsich retired following the 1988 season.
Sherman makes his coaching debut with the Emeralds this season. Selected by San Diego in the 6th round of the 1989 First Year Player Draft out of Long Beach State, Sherman was named to the NWL All-Star Team that season after hitting .318-0-29 for the league champion Spokane Indians. The speedy outfielder led the circuit in stolen bases (58) and in runs scored (70) and was second in bases on balls (58). Sherman played in 37 MLB games with San Diego hitting .222-0-2 in 63 at-bats with two stolen bases. Sherman also played parts of seven minor league seasons with the Padres (1989-93), Colorado Rockies (1994) and Seattle Mariners (1995) and four seasons in the Mexican League (2000-02, 2006).
Stewart returns to Eugene in 2008 for a third season as the Emeralds athletic trainer. The Arizona State University graduate earned his degree in Kinesiology in 2002. Stewart was on the training staff for the Sun Devils football program during his time in Tempe. Stewart, a native of Arizona, resides in Goodyear.