The Swiss Nationalliga A club Zurich Challengers has signed Brian Hipps to become the head coach in the 2010 season. He succeeds James Saunders, who will stay with the team as a player. He is from San Diego, California and has played professional baseball in independent leagues in the United States and Mexico in the past. The Challengers will open the season on April 17th against the Zurich Barracudas at the renovated ballpark “Heerenschürli” in Zurich.
From www.challengers.ch:
The Zurich Challengers named Brian Hipps as their new head coach for the 2010 season. The 29-year-old San Diego native worked as director of Diamond Strength and hitting instructor for the Frozen Ropes Baseball Training Facility in San Diego and as assistant coach for the Morse High School in San Diego.
Hipps, who played for the San Diego Mesa College and Chico State, was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 44th round of the amateur entry draft in 2001 and turned pro in 2005. As a professional Hipps played Minor League Baseball for the Chico Outlaws and the Chillicothe Paints, both Independent, and for the Atlantic City Surf in the Atlantic League. In 2007 the Outfielder and First Baseman played for the Azules de Mexicali in the North Sonora League in Mexico.
Hipps follows James Sanders, who stays with the Challengers in 2010 as pitcher and shortstop, to manage the Zurich Challengers. In addition to his job as playing coach of the NLA-Team, Hipps will also serve as assistant coach for the NLB-Team, the Juniors and the Softball-Team.
