Steve Tahsler - General Manager

Steve Tahsler will serve as general manager for Slippery Rock Professional Baseball during the 2007 season. Steve is entering his 11th season in the Frontier League and 14th season overall in front office operations.

Steve began his career working for two years in the Sports Information Department at Georgia State University, a NCAA Division I school located in downtown Atlanta, where his duties centered on the baseball and men’s and women’s basketball programs. Steve worked for the International Baseball Federation during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, serving as a member of the results staff at the baseball venue. He then spent the 1996-97 season working for the Atlanta Glory during the inaugural season of the women’s American Basketball League.

Steve joined the Evansville Otters prior to the 1997 season as director of operations, a position that he held for four seasons. Steve became general manager of the former Dubois County Dragons in 2001, restarting an operation that had been dormant for five months. At the conclusion of the 2001 season, the Goldklang Group lured Steve back to Bosse Field to serve as assistant general manager for the Otters. Steve was promoted to vice president for business operations prior to the 2003 season and served as interim general manager following the death of Jim Miller in July, 2003. Steve was formally appointed general manager after the 2003 season.

Evansville set franchise attendance records in each of Steve’s four years as general manager while advancing to the Frontier League Championship Series three times, winning their first title in 2006. Between Evansville and Dubois County, he has been part of more playoff appearances than anybody in Frontier League history. Steve was honored as the Frontier League’s Executive of the Year in both 2005 and 2006, becoming the first person to win the award in back-to-back seasons in the League’s history. Steve serves on the Frontier League’s Board of Directors and is chairman of the League’s Scheduling Committee while serving as a member of the Baseball Committee.

A native of Bay Village, Ohio, Steve attended Alan C. Pope High School in Marietta, Georgia, and graduated from Georgia State University where he studied statistics. Steve is single and resides in Grove City, and has two nieces, Madelynn (7) and Meghan (5) who visit him each summer.

Jeff Messer - Director of Baseball Operations

Slippery Rock University’s all-time winningest baseball coach, Jeff Messer will serve as the director of baseball operations for Slippery Rock Professional Baseball. Jeff will be responsible for overseeing the off-field activities of the team.

Jeff is in his 21st season as head baseball coach for The Rock. He has 598 career wins, and has won 14 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division titles while guiding four teams to the NCAA Division II World Series (1989, 1997, 2000, and 2003).

Jeff graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts with a degree in physical education in 1980, and received a master’s degree from Oklahoma City University in counseling. He was a shortstop for the Pride, and spent 1981 playing professional baseball in Holland. Prior to coming to Slippery Rock, Jeff served as an assistant coach at Westfield State College and Oklahoma City University.

Jeff resides in Slippery Rock with his wife Mary and children Matt (20), Michelle (19), and Billy (17).

Leo Trich, JR - Frontier League

Leo Trich serves as the Frontier League's Director of Development. Trich retired from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after representing the Washington PA area for seven consecutive terms. Before that, he was the Commissioner of PONY Baseball, an international youth baseball organization, as well as serving as Vice President of the U.S. Baseball Federation (now USA Baseball) and as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. In 1999, Trich founded Baseball Scholarships, Inc., a non-profit organization that built the stadium now known as Falconi Field, home of the League's Washington Wild Things. With his legislative and baseball background and his experience in facilities development, Trich is an important resource to the communities that call, or look forward to calling, the Frontier League home.

Among his other league duties in 2007, Trich will be involved with over-site of the Slippery Rock project, on behalf of Commissioner Bill Lee and the Frontier League and will assist the Sliders' General Manager.

Leo and his wife Adele have three children: Christian, Brittney, and Courtney.

Rich Pasquale - Facility Manager

Rich Pasquale, assistant baseball coach at Slippery Rock University, will serve as facility manager for Slippery Rock Professional Baseball. Rich will oversee the daily operation of Jack Critchfield Park during the 2007 season.

Rich is entering his first season with The Rock baseball program. He spent the past four years as the head baseball coach for LaRoche College in Pittsburgh, posting a 96-76-2 overall record. Prior to Rich’s arrival at LaRoche, the Redhawks had averaged six victories in the past four seasons, compared to the 24 per season during his tenure. Rich was the Coach of the Year in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in 2004, and led the Redhawks to a school-record 40 wins in 2006.

Prior to accepting the head coach positing at LaRoche College, Rich served as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State-Beaver. Rich is currently an area scout for the Cleveland Indians.

Rich was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American as an infielder at Francis Marion University in 1990, from where he graduated with a degree in sociology. Rich also has a master’s degree in health and physical education from Madison University.

Rich resides in Zelienople with his wife Mindy and children Dominic (6), Maura (4), and Kara (6 months).