Rainiers welcome back Listach and staff; Mariners announce other minor-league coaches for 2018 | The Olympian

Pat, and his staff, are back.

The Seattle Mariners announced on Wednesday the Tacoma Rainiers would return entirety of their primary field staff for the upcoming 2018 Pacific Coast League season

Manager Pat Listach returns for his fourth season, while being assisted by third-year pitching coach Lance Painter and hitting coach Dave Berg, who enters his second season in Tacoma.

Listach, 50, led the Rainiers to a Pacific Northern Division crown in 2016, and has a career record of 325-301 (.519) while in the PCL with Iowa and Tacoma. Since Listach joined the Rainiers in 2015, the club has the best home record (123-92, .572 winning percentage) in the PCL during that time.

Painter, 50, returns for his third season as the Rainiers pitching coach, and his 13th season serving in the Mariners organization. With his help, seven Rainiers pitchers went on to make their Major League debuts last year, including top prospects Andrew Moore and Max Povse.

Berg, 47, comes back for his second go-around with the Rainiers. Last season, Tacoma had the third-most walks in the PCL and the fourth-fewest strikeouts.

The Rainiers open the 2018 campaign, the 59th season in club history, on Thursday, April 5 at 7:05 p.m. against the Sacramento River Cats at Cheney Stadium.

The Mariners other minor league teams:

▪ Arkansas (Double-A) –Former Rainiers manager Daren Brown returns for his third season with the Arkansas Travelers in the Texas League. He was named Southern League Manager of the Year in 2016 after leading led the AA club to a Southern League title. Brown enters his 21st season in the Mariners organization and has compiled a 1156-1044 record (.527) over 19 seasons as a manager in the minor leagues. Ethan Katz returns as the team’s pitching coach for the second season, while Roy Howell enters his fourth season as the club’s hitting coach.

▪ Modesto (High Single-A) – Mitch Canham enters his third season in the Mariners minor league organization, including his second as the manager of the Mariners High-A affiliate the Modesto Nuts. He led the Nuts 74-66 record in 2017, including going a perfect 6-0 during the playoffs en route to a California League Championship. His staff includes pitching coach Pete Woodworth and hitting coach Joe Thurston.

▪ Clinton (Low Single-A) – Denny Hocking enters his second season in the Mariners minor league organization, and his first at the helm of Seattle's affiliate in the Midwest League, the Clinton LumberKings. His staff includes returning pitching coach Doug Mathis and hitting coach Jose Umbria.

▪ Everett (Short-season Single-A) – Jose Moreno will manage the Everett AquaSox, Seattle's Northwest League affiliate for the second consecutive season. He enters his 18th season in the Mariners. Danielin Acevedo and Moises Hernandez will serve as the AquaSox pitching coaches, while Eric Farris will enter his first season in the Mariners organization as the club’s hitting coach.

▪ Peoria (Rookie League) – Zac Livingston returns for his third season as manager with the Mariners Rookie affiliate, the Arizona League Mariners, including back-to-back postseason appearances and an Arizona League Championship in 2016. Yoel Monzon returns for his third season as the pitching coach for the AZL Mariners.

▪ Dominican Academy – Cesar Nicolas enters his third season in the Mariners organization, including his second as the manager of the Mariners Academy team in the Dominican Summer League. Nicolas was named the Dave Henderson Minor League Staff Member of the Year following the 2017 season. His staff includes pitching coaches Jose Amancio and Alon Leichman, hitting coach David Flores and coaches Luis Caballero and Renny Osuna.