AJ Cicconi returns for his second season as the hitting coach with the Freedom in 2016. 

Last season, his first in professional baseball, Cicconi was a member of the East Division coaching staff for the 2015 Frontier League All-Star Game and he coached three Freedom players, catcher Gary Juarbe, second baseman Daniel Fraga, and outfielder Sam Eberle, who were named 2015 all-stars. In 2015, the Freedom ranked inside the top-half of the Frontier League in on-base percentage and posted almost five runs per game in the season-ending 14-6 run that propelled Florence into the postseason.

“Last year was AJ’s first in pro baseball and I was really impressed with how he progressed throughout the season,” Freedom Manager Pelfrey said. “The progression he showed is exactly what we want to see from our players. His ability to plan what our hitters were trying to accomplish from game-to-game and series-to-series was a huge part of our offensive success last season. I expect him to continue to develop because of his ability to be open to new ideas from players and coaches.”

“I was very happy with the way we played last year and I’m excited to build off that coming into this season,” Cicconi said. “Coming into my second year, I’m setting my standards high for myself and our hitters.

“Last season, once the players figured out what our coaching staff was all about, it was easy for them to hop on board and our second-half success showed what we are capable of,” he continued. “If the guys bring the energy we expect right away, we can get into our rhythm from day one.”