LINCOLN, Nebraska – The Lincoln Saltdogs have announced the hiring of hitting coach Tommy Gregg and bench coach Brad Weitzel to round out the coaching staff for the 2020 season.

“We are excited to welcome Tommy & Brad to the Saltdogs team for the 2020 season,” said Saltdogs President/General Manager Charlie Meyer. “They both have tremendous experience in baseball and will bring great energy to our baseball operation.”

Gregg, 56, has over three decades of experience in pro baseball and spent most of the last decade as a hitting coach at the Triple-A level, including eight years with nearby Omaha.

Gregg is a product of Boone, NC and spent parts of nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Pirates, Braves, Reds and Marlins. He hit .243 with 20 homers in 446 big-league games. He was a seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Wake Forest University in 1985.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a Saltdog,” Gregg said. “I’ve been in professional baseball for 33 years and this is as excited as I’ve been about going into a season. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone involved with the ‘Dogs and I’m excited about helping bring a championship back to the organization and community of Lincoln this season.”

Weitzel, 62, just spent 12 seasons as a coach at the University of Florida before leaving the program last summer. Florida made the NCAA tournament all 12 seasons Weitzel was in Gainesville, which included seven trips to the College World Series and a national championship in 2017. Florida also won two SEC tournament titles and five regular-season championships.

Prior to Weitzel’s arrival as an assistant at UF, the Gators had failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2006-2007. Weitzel also spent nearly two decades as a scout in Major League Baseball.

“I am excited about this opportunity with the Lincoln Saltdogs ballclub,” Weitzel said. “Many baseball people have told me that Lincoln is the best independent ball franchise in the business, and that this will be the purest form of baseball. They say it’s totally me and I will love it.”

Both coaches will work with first-year manager James Frisbie, who was hired by the club in November.

“We lucked out getting Tommy Gregg and Brad Weitzel,” said Frisbie. “Both of them came strongly recommended by a lot of guys that I know and really trust in baseball. I couldn’t imagine having two guys better than these guys for my first season in Lincoln.”

The Saltdogs are gearing up for their 20th season in Lincoln! Ticket and promotional information will be released at a later date, and you can keep up with the ‘Dogs on our website and social media platforms all offseason long.