Stearns, Gingrich, Jarrett back in Harrisburg
Stearns, entering his third season, became the fifth manager to guide the Senators for at least two consecutive seasons.
Stearns, 57, leads a staff in Harrisburg in 2009 that has very familiar faces to Senators fans. Troy Gingrich returns to Harrisburg as the hitting coach for a second straight season, Beth Jarrett returns for her fifth season as the Senators trainer and former Senator Randy Tomlin joins the staff after having been in Potomac the past two seasons.
Stearns has managed in a total of 284 games with the Senators which ties him for fifth all-time. This is his ninth season overall as a Minor League manager and fourth as a manger in the Nationals organization. Stearns is a native of Denver and attended the University of Colorado excelling in baseball and football. He was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1973 draft. He was also drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the NFL as a defensive back, but did not sign.
Stearns played 11 seasons in the major leagues. He appeared in one game with the Phillies in 1974 and then was traded to the New York Mets in December of 1974. He played with the Mets the rest of his career and was a four-time all-star catcher. He finished his major league career with a .260 batting average with 46 homers and 312 RBIs. After retiring as a player, Stearns has remained in professional baseball as a coach, scout, catching coordinator as well as a minor league manager. As a manager in the minor leagues, Stearns has compiled a 520-546 record. During the off-season Stearns lives in Florida and has three grown sons.
Troy Gingrich returns to the Senators as the hitting coach for a second consecutive season. Gingrich played with the Senators for parts of the 2001, 2002, and 2003 seasons appearing in 34 total games. He retired as a player during spring training 2004. Since retiring, Gingrich has spent the past five seasons as a coach in the Nationals organization. He was Vermont's hitting coach in 2004 and Potomac's for three seasons, 2005-2007. Gingrich is married and resides in Southern California in the off-season.
The 2009 season marks the 18th year of professional baseball for Athletic Trainer Beth Jarrett. Beth returns for a fifth consecutive season with the Senators and her 8th with the Washington Nationals organization. She began working in baseball with the Indianapolis Indians in 1991 as a bat girl. Beth began her professional career in 1997 with the Bangor Blue Ox. She eventually joined the Nationals organization in 2002. Beth lives in North Carolina in the off-season.
The only new member of the 2009 staff is pitching coach Randy Tomlin. Although Tomlin is new to the Senators coaching staff he is not new to the Senators. Tomlin spent parts of the 1989 and 1990 seasons pitching for the Senators before being promoted to Buffalo and then onto Pittsburgh. He was 11-8 in 24 appearances with Harrisburg. He also spent parts of five seasons pitching in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates going 30-31 in his career. His best season came for the 1992 Eastern Division Champion Pirates when he went 14-9 during the regular season with a 3.44 ERA. Prior to being in Potomac the past two seasons, Tomlin was the pitching coach for Liberty University for nine years.