Bill Mosiello Leaving Travs For Volunteers

NORTH LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Travelers manager Bill Mosiello announced after Thursday night's game that he is resigning his position effectively tonight. He is heading back to his roots in college baseball as the recruiting coordinator/hitting coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers. Mosiello will manage Friday's series opener with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Dickey-Stephens Park then begin his duties with the Vols on Saturday. Todd Takayoshi will assume the duties as Travs manager on Saturday until July 31 when Bobby Mitchell will take over for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs.

Takayoshi doubles as the Angels field coordinator and roving hitting instructor and is currently in his tenth season as a coach in the organization. He spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons as the Travelers batting coach with the likes of Casey Kotchman, Dallas McPherson, Kendrys Morales, Howard Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Mike Napoli.

Mitchell is in his ninth year with the Angels organization and that includes five seasons as a manager where he posted a 361-350 record with Rancho Cucamonga (2006-2007) and Salt Lake (2007-2010). Currently Mitchell, who played four seasons in the Major Leagues, works as the Angels roving outfield, base running and bunting coordinator.

"We feel we've been able to get two great baseball men to manage the Travelers for the rest of the season," said Angels Director of Player Development Abe Flores. "Todd and Bobby know all of these players very well and most importantly they speak out language as far as the Angels philosophy of baseball. Our goal is not any different than from the start of the season, and that is to win a Texas League championship."

Mosiello spent two-and-a-half seasons managing in the Los Angeles Angels organization taking all three of his teams to first-half division titles, including the 2011 Texas League North first-half title in his three months with the Travs. He managed his teams in the Angels organization to a 196-147 record and was 393-304 overall as a minor league manager which includes parts of three seasons in the New York Yankees organization.

He managed the Travs to their 14th Texas League division pennant with a 36-31 record in the first half.

"From day one here in Arkansas, I know I set high expectations and we put ourselves out there by saying we were going to field a winning team. I knew that with the coaching staff of Francisco Matos, Brandon Emanuel, Mike Metcalfe and Seth Walsh along with the talented group we've been assigned this year that we could do something special," said Mosiello before Friday's game. "If I'm going to leave professional baseball then this is the group that I want to go out with."

"It's a great opportunity that the University of Tennessee and Head Coach Dave Serrano have presented me with," Mosiello said, referring to the Volunteers' new hire whom he worked with earlier in his coaching career at Cerritos College and grew up together in California.

"All the Travelers' fans have been great, and Pete Laven's staff has been excellent. I want to thank Tony Reagins, Abe Flores and the Los Angeles Angels for the previous two-and-a-half years. I've enjoyed my time with the Angels, but the opportunity at Tennessee is too good to pass up."