Just a few days after announcing that Troy Williams is no longer their head coach, the German Baseball-Bundesliga club Heidenheim Heidekoepfe revealed their new manager. The 51-year-old former Major League pitcher Mike Hartley returns to take over at the helm. He led the Heidekoepfe between 2008 and 2010, winning the German championship in 2009 and reaching the European Champions Cup Final Four one year later. Unipol Bologna needed extra innings in the finals to avoid a German upset.
In 2012 Hartley coached Grosseto Baseball in the Italian Baseball League, but the organization withdrew from the competition this fall. He also coached the Croatian National Team. Before introducing their new head coach Heidenheim had announced that Patrick Lawson, Andrew Smith, Justin Wilson and Michael Franke won’t be coming back. James McOwen and Jack Frawley will arrive to fill two of the open foreign player spots. McOwen additionally will serve as hitting coach, Frawley as pitching coach.
Photo: Heidekoepfe