MIKE SCHNEIDER BECOMES QUAKERTOWN BLAZERS COACH

Mike Schneider, snubbed by the Northampton School Board in October after being recommended for the Northampton High baseball coaching job, will get to coach a baseball team in 2010 after all.

Schneider will manage the Quakertown Blazers of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League where he will work with many top-notch college players.

The decision not to hire Schneider, the son of Northampton athletic director Mike Schnieder and the cousin of Phillies catcher Brian Schneider, was a source of controversy in Northampton and led to considerable hard feelings. Mike McDaniel, whose reputation in the baseball community hasn't exactly been pristine, was hired instead despite never being interviewed by the school board.

One of the supposed knocks against Schneider was that he didn't have enough coaching experience.

Well, that will be taken care of with this gig with the Blazers.

Here's the official release courtesy of Tom Bonekemper, who runs the ACBL and has close ties to the Quakertown organization.

QUAKERTOWN BLAZERS of the

ATLANTIC COLLEGIATE BASEBALL LEAGUE

NEWS RELEASE

From: Tom Bonekemper, ACBL President tbonekemper@verizon.net

For immediate release – December 18, 2009


Former ACBL All-Star Mike Schneider has been named field manager of the Quakertown Blazers for the 2010 season. Schneider was an outstanding catcher at Eastern Kentucky and played for the Blazers from 1999 through 2001. In 2002 he signed a free agent contract with the Montreal Expos and hit .370 for Vermont in his rookie season. The Northampton native is a cousin of Phillies catcher Brian Schneider.

Schneider will be assisted by Eric Spadt, another Northampton graduate. Spadt played for the Blazers from 1997 through 1999 while completing a successful career at Penn State. The middle infielder posted a .343 career average for the Blazers and was named to three ACBL All-Star teams. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2000 and hit .321 for Clinton of the Midwest League.

Former DeSales ace and Whitehall High grad Steve Raysely will be the pitching coach. Raysely logged a 2-1 record for the 1997 Blazers with a 1.80 ERA. Long time Blazer assistant coach Dan Horoshock will continue on the coaching staff.