2021 Fightins Field Staff Announced

(Reading, PA) – The Philadelphia Phillies have announced their 2021 Minor League coaching staff for the upcoming season. Shawn Williams is back as the skipper in Reading after leading the squad to the playoffs in 2019.

Brad Bergesen is set to make his debut with the Fightins after being slated as the pitching coach for 2020. Kris Terrian will also be making his debut with the Fightins as the athletic trainer. The hitting coach will be Tyler Henson in his second season and Kenny Matanane will return as the strength and conditioning coach.

Williams joined the Fightins 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. 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.

Brad Bergesen will fall into the role of pitching coach after spending time in both Clearwater and Lakewood. He also has stellar experience as a player in the minor league system. Bergesen was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round in 2004 and was awarded Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008. After debuting in 2009, he went on to pitch two more seasons with the organization and one with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bergesen also has experience in indie ball and internationally in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Tyler Henson enters his second 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. 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.

Kris Terrian will join the R-Phils as the athletic trainer following time in Lakewood and Williamsport. Terrian earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of South Florida in 2010 and his master’s in health science from St. Augustine University in 2018. He also has experience in the Boston minor league system and with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association.

The strength and conditioning coach in his fourth season with the R-Phils will be Kenny Matanane. After spending 2016 and 2017 in Baseballtown, Matanane worked with Clearwater in 2018. He transitioned back to Reading the following year. Matanane earned his master’s degree in exercise science from Central Washington University before working with Washington State University. The strength and conditioning expert also spent time within the Pirates system and with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

This summer professional baseball returns to Reading! MLB has presented the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils with a schedule for the 2021 season. Fans will be welcomed back into America’s Classic Ballpark! The R-Phils will open up the season at home on May 4th against the Erie SeaWolves. Ticket packages for the 2021 season are on sale now. More information can be found at https://www.milb.com/reading/tickets/schedule-printable or by calling 610-370-BALL.

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.