BISCUITS 2018 FIELD STAFF ANNOUNCED

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Tampa Bay Rays announced the field staff for the 2018 Montgomery Biscuits season on Wednesday. Brady Williams will return as Manager along with the returning Pitching Coach R.C. Lichtenstein and Coach Gary Redus. Jamie Nelson will also join the Biscuits for his first season as a Coach in Montgomery. 

Williams, 38, enters his fifth season as manager of the Biscuits and his tenth as a manager in the Rays' system. Williams led the Biscuits to their third straight post-season berth in 2017, the first time the team has done so in three consecutive seasons.

In his four seasons with the Biscuits, Williams has accumulated a 295-263 record. His .529 winning percentage ranks highest in Biscuits history. Williams will be entering his tenth season as a manager in the Tampa Bay Rays system, reaching the playoffs in six of those seasons. Prior to the Biscuits, Williams managed the Charlotte Stone Crabs in 2013, the Bowling Green Hot Rods in 2010-2012, and the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2009.

The bloodline of managing runs deep in the Williams family. Jimy Williams, Brady's father, managed at the Major League level and Shawn, Brady's younger brother, currently manages the Clearwater Threshers, the Florida State League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies' organization. Jimy managed for 12 seasons in the Majors for the Blue Jays (1986-1989), Red Sox (1997-2001) and the Astros (2002-2004). The elder Williams won the 1999 American League Manager of the Year award for leading the Red Sox to a 94-68 finish and a wild card berth into the playoffs.

Lichtenstein will be directing the pitching staff for the seventh-straight season in Montgomery. The Chicago-native spent three seasons as pitching coach in Bowling Green before joining the Biscuits in 2012. Overall, Lichtenstein has completed eleven years as a coach in the Rays' system. In six seasons with the Biscuits, Lichtenstein has worked with some top talent during his Biscuits tenure, including 2015 Minor League Player of the Year, Blake Snell, and top prospects primed for a breakout with the Rays like Jake Faria, Chih-Wei Hu, Ryne Stanek, and Brent Honeywell Jr.. In fact, 22 Biscuit pitchers have gone on to the Major Leagues since Lichtenstein took over in 2012.

Redus will re-join the Biscuits for his second season as a Coach. The north Alabama native spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Reds, Phillies, White Sox, Pirates, and Rangers. Redus was drafted out of Athens State University in 1978 by the Reds, and spent the 1978 season batting .462 for the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League, an all-time American professional baseball record that still stands today.
Nelson began his Rays coaching career in 2000 and has spent the past five seasons as an Assistant Hitting Coach for the Major League Tampa Bay Rays. Nelson also spent five years as the Rays Minor League Catching Coordinator and five years as the manager of the Rookie-level Princeton Rays from 2003-2007. The Oklahoma native spent his playing career as a catcher, making it to the Majors with the Seattle Mariners in 1983. 2018 will be Nelson's first season with the Biscuits.
The Biscuits open their fifteenth season at Riverwalk Stadium on Thursday, April 5th at 6:35 p.m. versus the Biloxi Shuckers. Fans and media will get their first look at the 2018 promotional schedule beginning on Tuesday, January 16^th with four consecutive days of exciting announcements.
The Montgomery Biscuits, class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays is a Minor League Baseball member of the Southern League. 2016 will be the Biscuit's fifteenth season of operation at Riverwalk Stadium, the centerpiece of Downtown Montgomery, AL located at 200 Coosa Street. The muti-purpose facility hosts all 70 home games in addition to other events through the entire calendar year. For tickets or more information, please call 334-323-2255 or visit the Biscuits online at biscuitsbaseball.com.