HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The Tri-State Coal Cats are excited to announce that veteran coach Roger Hill will return as the team’s hitting coach for the 2025 season. Hill made a strong impression during his first season with the Coal Cats in 2024 and will continue to lead the team’s hitters in 2025.
“As a staff, we’ve gotten rid of our first-season kinks, and I’m looking forward to putting together better offensive production this summer,” Roger Hill said.
“Roger is a tremendous person and a great leader,” Coal Cats general manager Christian Palmer said. “He is the perfect person to coach in a developmental league, as he has both patience and knowledge.”
Hill brings decades of baseball experience to the Coal Cats, both on the field and in the dugout. In 2022, he was named the head coach of the West Los Angeles College baseball team, taking over the program after serving as an assistant coach with the Wildcats since 2014. His coaching résumé also includes time at Washington Preparatory High School and Compton Community College, and he served as a manager, coach and board member at Ladera Little League from 2005 to 2011.
As a player, Hill starred at West Los Angeles College, where he was named Western State Conference Player of the Year, Southern California Player of the Year and California State Community College Co-Player of the Year. He also received the prestigious Big Stick Award, given to the top hitter in California community college baseball. He continued his playing career at the University of Nebraska, where he earned first-team All-Big 8 Conference honors in both of his seasons under head coach John Sanders.
Hill was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 14th round of the 1982 MLB Draft and played five professional seasons in the Minor Leagues, including time at every level from Rookie League to Triple-A. He spent four seasons in the Mariners organization and one with the Cleveland Indians before a shoulder injury ended his playing career.
Prior to joining the Coal Cats, Hill served as a hitting coach in the Appalachian League with the Pulaski River Turtles.
The remainder of the Coal Cats’ 2025 coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information about the Tri-State Coal Cats, visit appyleague.com/tri-state or follow @TriStCoalCats on X and Instagram.
