GARY, Ind. — The Gary SouthShore RailCats have been to five straight Northern League Championship Series since the hiring of Manager Greg Tagert in 2005 and the sixth-year skipper will get at least four more chances to lead the RailCats to another title, recently agreeing to a three-year contract extension that will keep Tagert in his current position through at least the 2013 season.  Tagert’s signing was first announced at the team’s annual Fan Fest, Saturday, February 20.

The two-time Northern League Manager of the Year (2007, 2009), Tagert is not only the all-time winningest RailCats manager, he’s also seventh in league history with 276 wins and his .574 Northern League winning percentage is second-best in the league’s modern history (since 1993).  In 14 seasons as a manager, Tagert has remarkably never posted a below-.500 record and his five RailCats teams have never failed to reach the postseason and the championship series, winning league titles in 2005 and 2007.

“We’re obviously ecstatic to have Greg under contract for the next four seasons,” RailCats President/General Manager Roger Wexelberg said.  “He’s a tremendous asset to our organization and one of the best managers in independent baseball.”

The California native has made his name in baseball by building teams not just on talent alone, but by valuing character as much as on-field ability.  The results have produced teams that play with an uncanny knack for pulling out wins late and a steadfast refusal to quit.  Tagert’s RailCats are a remarkable 6-0 all-time in Game Five (the decisive game) in the Northern League Playoffs and have faced elimination in six of their seven all-time playoff series wins.  Tagert’s 2006 team had to fight just to get into the playoffs, going 7-0 to end the season to force a one-game playoff against Joliet, and winning that game to make it back to the postseason.

“I’m honored and proud to be a part of this franchise; the history and tradition,” Tagert said.  “I’m looking forward to the future and our continued quest to be the premier organization in independent baseball.”

Aside from producing winners with the RailCats, Tagert has also guided 14 of his RailCats charges to affiliated baseball, including 2006 RailCats outfielder Nathan Haynes, who played in the Major Leagues with the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays from 2007-08.  Tagert has also mentored two Northern League Pitchers of the Year, a Northern League Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Relief Pitcher of the Year, four Baseball America All-Independent Leagues selections and seven full-season Northern League All-Stars.

The 2009 RailCats posted the best regular season record in the Northern League (57-39), the second time they have done so in the last three seasons.  The RailCats had to dig out of a big early hole to rally to the top of the league, too, going 42-18 over the last 60 games of the season after starting 17-21.  The ‘Cats revival was buoyed by the resurgence of starter Tony Cogan, who went on a record 28.2 inning scoreless streak en route to being named the Northern League’s best left-handed pitcher.

The 2008 RailCats were Tagert’s best offensive team, setting a litany of team records and breaking the Northern League record for hits in a single season (1,057).  That club featured Northern League Player of the Year Tanner Townsend and went 56-40, finishing second in the league.  The RailCats once again won a semifinal playoff series (besting Winnipeg 3-1) before falling two wins short of a third title.

Tagert arrived in Northwest Indiana in 2005, taking over a team that had set a league record for losses the previous season.  Tagert’s impact was immediate and the turnaround was impressive, as the RailCats made the playoffs and won back-to-back five game series to win the Northern League Championship.  After taking the RailCats to the brink of a title in 2006, the 2007 ‘Cats dominated the circuit with a 58-38 regular season record and went on to win the title in another dramatic five-game series.

A longtime Frontier League Manager, Tagert won his 600th career game in 2008 and has a .560 lifetime winning percentage (688-541).  Originally from Vacaville, California, Tagert worked as a scout for the Detroit Tigers and as a collegiate pitching coach before becoming a professional manager.  Tagert and his family now reside in Northwest Indiana.

Tagert and the RailCats begin the 2010 season Thursday, May 20 at 7 p.m. at U. S. Steel Yard against the Kansas City T-Bones.  Season tickets, group outings, mini-plans, flex vouchers are on sale now by calling the RailCats at 219.882.2255 or visiting www.railcatsbaseball.com.