Not since 2010
have the Railroaders had a season opening win at home or away. Fulton has consistently been slow getting
out of the gate to start the season.
Falling behind early in the standing, the Railroaders begin their run at
mid season (give or take). And in 2010
to present, Fulton finishes the season in second place, several games behind
the leader. The brightest spots during
this time have been 2 Post Season Playoff titles in 2011 and 2013. Both these 3 game series were come from
behind Railroader victories over the Oilers and Hoppers. The last 1st place regular season
standing for Fulton occurred in 2007.
Will this trend change in 2015 and begin this Friday when the
Railroaders host the Madisonville Miners?
The Miners are
lead by Head Coach Jared Franklin, his 2nd year with
Madisonville. He has 15 years coaching
experience, and is also Head Coach for Webster County High School. He is an associate Scout for the Texas
Rangers, and coached a team to a 2013 title in the Mountain Collegiate Baseball
League. As skipper of the newly renamed
Miners in 2014, Franklin’s first year was tough one with Madisonville finishing
last with a 10-30 record, however the Miners did succeed to in Post Season to
advance with a win in the 1st round of the playoffs before being
knock out by the Railroaders in the 2nd round. I’m sure Coach Franklin has different ideas
for this year!
The Railroaders,
on the other hand, have newly appointed Head Coach Mikee Moore who has his own
history with Fulton. Mikee served as
assistant coach for the Railroaders in 2014, and played as a Railroader in 2012
and 2013. He is known for aggressive play, hitting and base stealing (see Mikee steal home). His collegiate playing career was at both
Georgia College and Maryville College.
He played three seasons at NCAA Division III where he earned several
titles. My observations have him as a player’s coach and expect the team to
follow his lead. Teaming up with Moore
is Tyler Saltsman serving as assistance coach.
Saltsman also returns this year after serving the Railroaders as
an assistance coach for Fulton in 2014. He is a
former Railroader pitcher too, playing in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
The Railroaders
have a completely fresh crew for 2015, all under the guidance of two former Railroaders players
and coaches. I’m expecting some great
things to happen this year. We’ll see
what happens beginning this Friday at the Yard against the Miners. See you there or online TeamLine. Let Fire it Up!
