Latest southern Colorado news, weather and sports from FOX21 News

DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies announced this evening that Colorado Springs Sky Sox Manager Tom Runnells has been named bench coach of the team.

Additionally, the Rockies announced that Stu Cole will take over as manager of the Triple-A Sky Sox, while Ron Gideon will be the new manager of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Runnells (#22) will be in uniform with the Rockies against San Diego tonight. All other minor league coaching changes will go into effect throughout this weekend.

Runnells, 54, is in his sixth season with the Rockies organization. He is returning to the Major Leagues for the first time since managing the Montreal Expos for parts of two seasons from 1991-92.

In his fourth season at the helm of the Sky Sox, Runnells has the club in first place of the Pacific Coast League Pacific North Division with a record of 28-18 entering today.

He compiled a 234-242 (.492) record with the Sky Sox in his three and a half seasons, and his 234 wins are the second-most for a manager in Sky Sox history behind Brad Mills (271 wins, 1994-96). Prior to taking over managerial duties for the Sky Sox, Runnells served as manager of the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, from 2004-05.

A native of Colorado and graduate of Greeley West High School and the University of Northern Colorado, Runnells spent 11 years in the Tigers organization before joining the Rockies. He served as Minor League Roving Hitting Instructor for the Tigers during in his final five seasons with the organization from 1993-2003. During his time with Detroit he also spent time as a manager at Double-A London (1993) and Trenton (1994). He was the manager for Triple-A Toledo from 1995-96 before working as an advance scout for the organization from 1997-98.

Runnells compiled a Major League managerial record of 68-81 (.456). At age 36, he was the youngest manager in baseball when he was named to the position with Montreal on June 3, 1991. Runnells played 10 seasons of professional baseball, which included 40 games as an infielder for the Cincinnati Reds (1985-86). He retired after the 1986 season and was given his first managerial job with the Reds’ Double-A club, Vermont, in 1987.

Cole, 43, has been with the Rockies for 14 seasons, including nine as a manager. He began his fourth season as manager of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers this April. Entering today, the Drillers were in second place in the Texas League North Division, four games behind first-place Springfield. Cole became the 17^th manager of the Drillers in 2006, and he led his team to the North Division and a playoff berth with a 41-29 record that season. Prior to his managerial jobs, he spent six years as a minor league coach, all with Colorado. Cole is a former infielder, as he played nine professional seasons including a stop with the Sky Sox from 1993-96.

Gideon, 45, is in his 14^th season with the Rockies, his fourth as the Roving Field Coordinator. The owner of a 510-563 (.475) career mark as a minor league manager, Gideon will return to his managerial duties with the Drillers for the remainder of the 2009 season. He has not managed a club since 2002-05, when he served as skipper for Rookie Tri-Cities. He also has managed Salem, Asheville and Portland in his career. Prior to joining the Rockies, Gideon spent 10 years in the Mets organization, including five as a player. His professional playing career began in 1984, when the Phillies made him their first selection in the secondary phase of the June draft.

Information provided by Sky Sox.