Bees' skipper Harper coming back in '07

Brian Harper, who led the Salt lake Bees to an 81-63 record and a Pacific Coast League Pacific North Division title last season, will return for a second season, the parent Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim announced Monday. Also back are hitting coach Jim Eppard, pitching coach Charles Nagy and trainer Armando Rivas.

Harper, before taking over the Bees in 2006, spent five seasons as the manager of the Angels' rookie affiliate, the Mesa Angels, in the Arizona Summer League. During his time with Mesa, Harper led the Angels to a 115-165 record. Originally drafted by the Angels in 1977, Harper played for eight different clubs during his 16-year career and was the starting catcher on the Minnesota Twins 1991 World Series Championship team. A native of San Pedro, California, Harper played in 1001 games and had a career batting average of .295.

"We are very excited to have this great staff return to Salt Lake," said Marc Amicone, Bees vice pPresident/general manager. "Last season was an incredible year for the franchise and that's a credit to the great job these individuals did with our players."

Eppard returns to Salt Lake for his fourth season as the team's hitting coach. Prior to joining the Angels organization, Eppard was the hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Sky Sox. Eppard played professional baseball for 12 years, including four seasons with the California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. He also won minor league batting titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1990.

A 14-year major league pitcher, Nagy will enter his second season with the Bees as pitching coach. Nagy spent 13 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, posting a career best 2.96 ERA during the 1992 season. Along with Greg Maddux, Nagy was the only player to win 15 games each year from 1995 to 1999.

Rivas also returns to the Bees for his second season as the team's trainer. Previously, he spent the 2005 campaign with the Angels Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers. Rivas completed his undergraduate work at Cal State Fullerton, earning a degree in athletic training and a master's in exercise physiology from Cal Poly Pomona.

Salt Lake Bees' season tickets are on sale now, starting as low as $6 per game. Fans can also purchase holiday packs for only $49 thru the end of January by calling 325-BEES or by visiting slbees.com.

OWLZ KEEP KOTCHMAN: Tom Kotchman will be returning to manage the Orem Owlz in 2007, the Pioneer League club announced Monday.

Kotchman, the only manager the organization has ever had, will mark 2007 as his seventh in Utah.