After two successful seasons with the Newark Pilots, head coach Chris Ebright will be moving on to a coaching position in the Prospect League.  The Pilots will name Mike Armstrong as the new head coach.  Armstrong came on with the Pilots at the end of the 2012 season as an assistant coach. 

Pilots Owners Bob and Leslie Ohmann says “We appreciate what coach Ebright did for us the past two seasons and we wish him the best of luck.  We look forward to moving on with Mike Armstrong taking over and look to continue being a successful organization and a contender in the PGCBL.”

Armstrong, a native of Rochester, NY, is the hitting and catchers coach at Amherst College.  Before that he served as an assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach at Ithaca College from 2010 to 2012.  He played a large role in helping the Ithaca Bombers varsity team improve their hitting ability in his two years with the program.  Armstrong also helped build the junior varsity program, increasing their schedule from 8 games in 2011 to 22 games in his 2012. 

Before starting his coaching career, Armstrong played at Clarkson University before transferring to Ithaca College.  There he was the starting catcher throughout his junior and senior seasons. 

"I am honored to have been chosen as the new Head Coach for the Newark Pilots.” Armstrong said. “I enjoyed my time last year being an assistant, and I am excited to have an even bigger impact on the team and organization in the upcoming season. We have great ownership, an excellent general manager and a talented team being signed for the 2013 campaign. I expect big things for the Pilots this coming summer."

After winning the championship in 2011, the Newark Pilots finished the 2012 season with another playoff run but finished just short.  They will look to continue that winning mentality under new head coach Mike Armstrong.

 “My philosophy is to hold every player accountable and teach responsibility on and off the field and in life. I preach aggressiveness on defense and at the plate, while teaching the mental points of the game to make players independent thinkers. It is very important to me to further develop the talented young men on our roster, and prepare them for successful seasons when they return to their institutions for the regular season” Armstrong says.

“I am excited to have Mike as our new head coach.  He really knows his baseball and we think he will do a great job leading the Newark Pilots in the right direction” says General Manager Brian Connell.