GREG GROSS RETURNS AS FIELD MANAGER FOR 2018 SEASON

RENO, Nev. - The Reno Aces, in conjunction with the Arizona Diamondbacks, have announced Greg Gross will return to Reno as the third manager in franchise history. Joining Gross will be pitching coach Gil Heredia, hitting coach Jason Camilli and coach Mike Lansing. Rounding out the support staff will be trainer Paul Porter and strength and conditioning coach Steven Candelaria.
Gross returns for his sixth season in Reno after spending 2010-2012 as the hitting coach of the Philadelphia Phillies. Under Gross, the Aces have consistently been among the Pacific Coast League's best in numerous offensive categories. With Gross' management, the Aces finished 80-62 to win the Pacific Northern Division. Reno finished the 2017 campaign with a .290 average and produced the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player, Christian Walker.

Gross served as bench coach for the Phillies in 2001 and was their hitting coach from 2002-04. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of the 1970 amateur draft. Gross spent 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, playing with the Astros, Cubs and Phillies. He hit .314 in his rookie campaign with the Astros, garnering The Sporting News Rookie of the Year honors while finishing second in the BBWAA NL Rookie of the Year race. He was a member of the 1980 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
"Greg has been a fixture in the Aces dugout and we are excited to have him at the helm in 2018," said Eric Edelstein, President. "Greg follows in great footsteps of Brett Butler and Phil Nevin and will represent the Aces well on the field and in our community."
Gross replaced Phil Nevin in 2017, who guided the Aces for the previous three seasons before accepting a position as third base coach for the San Francisco Giants in November of 2016. Brett Butler was the Aces' first manager, leading the squad from 2009-13.
Heredia rejoins the Aces staff for the second consecutive year. The former University of Arizona star pitcher is entering his ninth season in the Diamondbacks' organization and second season as Arizona's Triple-A pitching coach. Heredia joined the D-backs' system as pitching consultant in 2009 at Extended Spring Training and was assigned to Short-Season-A Yakima as eventual pitching coach that summer. From Yakima, the former major leaguer became pitching coach for Rookie-Advanced Missoula from 2010-12 before spending 2013-15 in the same role with Single-A Advanced Visalia.
Jason Camilli enters his first season as Reno's hitting coach and seventh in the D-backs' organization. He began his coaching career as a minor league instructor in the Washington Nationals organization while also working as a fielding and hitting instructor for a baseball academy in the Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ area. Camilli joined the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as the hitting coach of the Yakima Bears in 2012 and progressed to the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2013, Visalia Rawhide in 2014, Mobile BayBears in 2015-2016 and Jackson Generals in 2017.
Mike Lansing returns for his second year in the Biggest Little City. Serving primarily as the Aces third base coach in 2017, Lansing anchored the 80-win Pacific Northern Division Champions. Led by power-hitting MVP Christian Walker, the Aces batted .290 with 2,350 total bases and 858 runs scored.
The Reno Aces will begin their 2018 Pacific Coast League schedule with a five-game series against Pacific Northern Division rivals, the Fresno Grizzlies, on Thursday, April 5. Season memberships are on-sale now at www.renoaces.com or by calling (775) 334-4700. For up-to-date news and notes throughout the offseason, follow the club on Twitter (@aces) or like the team on Facebook.