It’s official: Etch’ to retire, Mason taking over
Revs’ skipper Andy Etchebarren (right) will step down after this season, with Mark Mason (left) taking over the reigns in 2013. Randy Flaum photo.
The York Revolution announced Wednesday that Andy Etchebarren will indeed be stepping down as manager of the ball club at the end of the season, with pitching coach Mark Mason taking over the reigns in 2013.
I’ll put up further details late Thursday with thoughts from Etch’, Mason and a couple of his players. For now, click here to read the full story featured in Thursday’s York Dispatch.
Also, click here to read the full game story from Wednesday. The Revs defeated the Skeeters behind a stellar night at the plate from slugger Chris Nowak.
The 69-year-old Etch’ has chatted about his possible retirement a few times this season. But given a guy that’s as fiery as he is, it’s hard to imagine a competitor like Etch’ finally walking away from a game that has consumed nearly all of his life – the 2012 season is his 51st in professional baseball.
Heading into Thursday night, Etch’ is 222-199 all-time at the helm, in addition to a 12-5 playoff record having guided the Revs to Atlantic League championships in each of his two full seasons.
York’s final regular season home game is Sept. 16 (a Sunday) for a 2 p.m. game against Atlantic League Freedom Division foe Somerset. Should the Revs make the playoffs, Etch’ would have the opportunity to win the Freedom Division Championship Series in front of the home crowd, since Lancaster has opted to host games 1 & 2 of the series. As it stands now, should York advance to the Atlantic League Championship Series and face Long Island, Etch’s final home contests would be in Games 1 & 2, since the Ducks have already chosen to go with the final three games of the series down in the LI. That could always change if another club knocks off Long Island in the Liberty Division Championship Series and goes with a different schedule for hosting games.
Looking back: Etch’ took over the reigns of the Revs on Aug. 14, 2009, coming over after previously serving as bench coach and advisor to manager Butch Hobson with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Etch’ has previously said those last couple months of the 2009 season were his hardest in York, as he worked to rebuild a team that finished 53-87 that year.
He turned York around in 2010 to win the club’s first league title. In 2011, he guided the Revs to their best regular season mark in club history at 73-51 before going on to become just the second team in Atlantic League history to win back-to-back championships. The effort helped Etch’ garner Atlantic League Manager of the Year honors, the first such honor given to a Revs’ skipper.
Mason: Mason will bring more than 400 games of managerial experience in the Frontier League to the Revs as skipper next season. Mason began his Frontier League career as pitching coach for Washington (PA) in 2002. He was named the league’s Manager of the Year in 2005 when he guided Ohio Valley. He also managed Chillicothe and Washington prior to his arrival in York.
Mason spent 16 years (1987-2002) as head baseball coach at Washington & Jefferson College. As a player, Mason pitched in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system, reaching Class AA Lynn (Mass.) of the Eastern League.
