PRESS RELEASE - Mets Announce Bisons 2012 Coaching Staff

February 16, 2012 –The New York Mets today announced the Bisons’ 2012 coaching staff that will join manager Wally Backman in Buffalo.MARK BREWER will serve as the team’s new pitching coach and GEORGE GREER will be the Herd’s new hitting coach. Athletic trainerJOE GOLIA returns for his second season with the Bisons.

Brewer spent last season as the pitching coach with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Mets. He worked in the Mets organization from 2005-2008, including a season as the pitching coach of the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League. He joined the Pirates organization for the 2009 season as their rehabilitation coordinator before returning to the Mets in 2010 as the pitching coach with Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League under former Bisons’ manager Tim Teufel.

Brewer began his coaching career at the University of Texas in 1992 and held the same position with Oral Roberts University from 1998-1999. From there, he spent four seasons (2001-2004) as the minor league pitching coordinator with the Los Angeles Dodgers before spending the 2005 season as the pitching coach of the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha.

Greer is beginning his seventh season in the Mets organization. He spent the 2011 campaign as the hitting coach of rookie-level Kingsport of the Appalachian League. He has also served as the hitting coach with Single-A St. Lucie (2010) and Single-A Savannah (2008-2009) before beginning his tenure with the Mets at Kingsport in 2007.

Greer compiled a 714-504-8 record (.582) in 23 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach, spending 17 of those years with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons of the Atlantic Coast Conference.  He is the winningest coach in school history and helped produce 29 All-Americans.

Golia returns to Buffalo for his second season as the Bisons head athletic trainer. The 2012 season will also be his eighth in the Mets organization. Prior to joining the Bisons, Golia spent six seasons as the head athletic trainer for the Binghamton Mets. He also served as the head athletic trainer for the Surprise Rafters (2009) and the Peoria Saguaros (2008) of the Arizona Fall League.