SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2024
EXPLORERS EXTEND MONTGOMERY AND POST
DUGOUT LEADERSHIP SET FOR THE NEXT NINE YEARS
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers have announced that the club has extended the contracts of Manager Steve Montgomery and Pitching Coach Bobby Post for the next nine years. Financial terms were not disclosed. The contract extension will keep the pair in the Siouxland through the 2032 season. Additionally, the team has announced that both Hitting Coach Josh Hinz and Trainer Bruce Fischbach will also be returning to the club in 2024.
“We are thrilled that both Steve and Bobby have agreed to long-term extensions to remain with the Explorers. The two of them have not only led this organization to unprecedented success on the field, but they are also tremendous people off the field who are truly passionate about our organization and the Sioux City community…we are grateful that their run together will continue in Sioux City for at least the next nine years,” said Vice President and General Manager Tom Backemeyer.
Steve Montgomery will begin his 10th season with the Explorers in 2024. Montgomery is the winningest manager in team history and has led the Explorers to the playoffs in six of his first nine seasons, including finals appearances in 2015 and 2019. Most recently, the 2023 club made it to the second round of the American Association playoffs. He enters the 2024 season with a 504-395 (.561) record. Under Montgomery the Explorers have sent 37 players to Major League Organizations since 2014.
Montgomery reached the 500-win mark in Sioux City on August 27, 2023, in a 3-2 win over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Lewis and Clark Park. Montgomery began his coaching career in 2004 as a pitching coach with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, and from 2005-2009, he also served as the pitching coach for North Dakota State University. Years prior, Montgomery spent nine seasons as a player in professional baseball, playing in the Orioles, Royals, Dodgers and Red Sox organizations, reaching as high as Triple-A in 1997. He also played independent baseball in the Frontier and Northern Leagues. He was a member of the 1996 Australian Baseball League Champion Perth Heat team while a member of the Orioles organization.
“I am incredibly grateful for the Sioux City Explorers organization for giving me my first managerial position in 2014 and for trusting me to lead the franchise for the past 10 years. There are no words to describe my gratitude to our owner John Roost for granting me the privilege and honor to lead the X’s for another nine years. I’d also like to thank our front office staff and my pitching coach Bobby Post for their dedication to me and our organization for the past 10 years. I would also like to say thank you to our fans, sponsors and host families for their support of me and the team as well as a thank you to our players, as none of this would be possible without their unwavering enthusiasm,” said Montgomery.
Bobby Post is another familiar face at Lewis and Clark Park as he enters his 17th season coaching for the Explorers. A native of Victorville, California, Post has worked alongside Manager Steve Montgomery for the last 10 years in Sioux City. Under Post’s guidance, the Explorers are year-in and year-out one of the top pitching staffs in the American Association with a reputation of turning players’ careers around and getting them back into affiliated ball.
Post is also a former Explorer, having pitched for the team two seasons as part of a five-year career where he posted a 35-19 record with a 4.85 ERA between Sioux Falls and Sioux City in the Northern League. He pitched his first two seasons—1995 and 1996—for the Canaries, leading the team with 10 wins and 120.2 innings during his second season. Post then moved down the interstate to Sioux City for three seasons—from 1997 to 1999. He would lead the team in innings pitched in 1997 and was second on the club in innings in 1998. Post is fifth all-time in innings pitched for the X’s with 318.2 innings, and his 51 starts is fourth overall in franchise history. Post’s 22 starts in 1998 still ranks first all-time in the organization’s history.
“I’m very excited to be back with the X’s and especially very grateful to John Roost for believing in us as a staff and for offering me a 9-year extension. I would also like to express my appreciation to Steve Montgomery for allowing me to be his right-hand man for last 10 years. The Explorers have been a part of my family for over 16 years, and I would not want to be in another organization,” said Post. “I cannot express how much Steve Montgomery means to me and my family and how thankful I am to have him as friend and my boss. Furthermore, many people outside of the Explorers do not realize what a great person John Roost is, what he has done for the Montgomery and Post families as well as our community and the American Association. I would also like to thank Tom Backemeyer for believing in me and Steve, allowing us to do our job and for helping us in our daily baseball operations,” added Post.
Josh Hinz will also return for his second season as Hitting Coach for Sioux City. Hinz graduated from the University of North Texas in 2018 with a Bachelor’s of Applied Arts and Science, majoring in Kinesiology and minoring in Psychology. He is from Dallas, Texas and attended Justin Northwest High School where he played football, baseball, basketball and soccer.
Bruce Fishbach will also return in 2024. He is a certified athletic trainer who served as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at the University of South Dakota from 1987 until he became Director Emeritus in 2021. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1984 and his Master of Sport Science Degree from the United States Sports Academy in 1991. The 2024 season will be Fishbach’s 6th season as the team’s athletic trainer.
The Explorers are set to open their 31st season in the Siouxland at home Friday night, May 10th at 7:05 p.m. against the Kansas City Monarchs. Ticket packages for the 2024 season are on-sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25 game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers social media channels and the club’s website xsbaseball.com for off-season news and updates.