2022 Fightins Field Staff Announced

(Reading, PA) – The Philadelphia Phillies have announced their 2022 Minor League coaching staff for the upcoming season. Shawn Williams is back as the skipper in Reading after leading the Fightins past three seasons. Tyler Henson will return as hitting coach for his third summer. Former Fightin Matt Hockenberry is slated as the pitching coach while Mycal Jones will be the bench/position coach. The new athletic trainer is Andrew Dodgson and the strength and conditioning coach is Bruce Peditto, both joining the team from High-A Jersey Shore.

Williams joined the Fightins in 2019 after managing for the then Class-A Advanced Clearwater Threshers and Class-A Lakewood Blue Claws. He began his time with the Philadelphia organization back in 2013 when he was a player and a coach for the Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters. A year later he transitioned to the player development staff with the club. Williams got his start in professional baseball as a utility player for the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first season in Baseballtown, Williams took the R-Phils all the way to the playoffs with a second-half East Division title. The Fightins also secured the best overall record that year going 80-59 in the Eastern League.

His father Jimy Williams also was an industry professional. He was the Phillies bench coach for two years (2007-2008) and also managed the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and Boston Red Sox. In 1999, Williams was named the American League Manager of the Year with Boston.

Tyler Henson enters his third season as the hitting coach for Reading. He has had stints instructing in all the Phillies minor league ballparks. Henson played in the farm system as well, appearing in 80 games in Baseballtown in 2013. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round back in 2006. In total, Henson’s playing career spanned ten years where he saw time at every position but pitcher and catcher.

Matt Hockenberry will assume the role of pitching coach after spending time two seasons with the Phillies High-A team. He also assists at Webber International University. A Pennsylvania native, Hockenberry played at Temple University before being selected by Philadelphia in the ninth round of the 2014. He went on to pitch through the farm system making it as high as Reading in 2017.

Mycal Jones rounds out the coaches for the Fightins. Jones has previously spent time as a coach in the farm system and also with Houston Astros organization at their Double-A level. A fourth-round selection by the Atlanta Braves in 2009, Jones reached Triple-A. In his playing days, he spent time on the left side of the infield and rotated through the outfield positions.

Andrew Dodgson will join the R-Phils as the athletic trainer. Dodgson spent his first two years in the organization as a trainer for the Gulf Coast Phillies West and the following year in the High-A level. He has a degree in athletic training from the University of South Florida and in sports management from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Bruce Peditto will be new to Reading as he was named the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Fightins. Pedittio joined the Phillies player development staff prior to the 2018 season and spent 2019 and 2021 with the BlueClaws. He earned his bachelor's degree in sport and exercise science from DeSales University.

We can’t wait to welcome fans back into America’s Classic Ballpark! The R-Phils will open up the season at home on Friday, April 8th against the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) for a three-game series. More information can be found at rphils.com or by calling 610-370-BALL. The 2022 promotional schedule and “On Sale” date for individual game tickets will be announced at a later time.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region and was voted the #1 stadium in all of Double-A by MiLB's Ben Hill. Follow the R-Phils at rphils.com, on Twitter and TikTok at @ReadingFightins, on Instagram @fightins, and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins for all information.