Gord Gerlach of St. Albert, Alberta has been named the new field manager for the Edmonton Cracker-Cats of the Northern League.
Gerlach takes over for Frank Reberger who was recently let go by the organization.
“I am happy to be managing the Cracker-Cats,” says Gerlach in a news conference with the media.
The Cracker-Cats started the second half of the season with a 3-9 record, which is part of the reason Reberger was dismissed. But Gerlach, who was the team’s hitting coach before the promotion, sees his team making a charge for a playoff spot.
“We certainly haven’t had a lack of effort. In fact, we’ve maybe had too much effort,” says Gerlach on his team’s recent struggles.
“All we need to do is gain one game a week on the teams above us,” adds Gerlach. “We’re going to go step by step.”
Gerlach is a former coach for the Senior National Team that participated in the World Senior Championship in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003. In 1999 he was a coach for the Senior National Team at the Pan-American Games and in 2005 he was coaching the seniors at the World Cup qualifier. In 2001, he was also a member of the coaching staff of the Junior National Team at the World Junior Baseball Championships.
