Knight to Return Down Under.

Adelaide Signs Brooke Knight to Manage the Bite for the 2014-2015 Season

Leading baseball coach Brooke Knight signs on with the Adelaide Bite next season.

by Tom Biddington, The Advertiser, June 18, 2014

Two-time championship-winning manager Brooke Knight will return to the Adelaide Bite for the 2014-15 Australian Baseball League season.

The American-based Knight, who steered the Perth Heat to the first two titles of the revamped competition, has committed to the Bite again after joining the team midway through last season.

Knight answered an SOS call after the Bite controversially sacked previous manager Charlie Aliano after just two rounds, and helped lead a revival that kept the team in playoff contention until the final out of the regular season.

The skipper was always keen to return and continue the work he started, but had to weigh up his family commitments in the United States before making a final decision.

"I'm really looking forward to taking charge of this team (again)," he said.

"Last year we laid some solid foundations for the team and if we can play more consistent baseball across the board, there's no reason why this team can't contend for the title this season."

The Bite rallied from a 2-6 start to force its way back into relevancy under Knight, with the players raving about his leadership, communication skills and baseball nous.

Despite the comeback, the season ended prematurely as the Bite got swept by the eventual champions, the Perth Heat, in the final round.

It's something that still irks Knight.

"That really hurt us as a group," he said.

"In hindsight we only needed to win one of the four games to book a spot in the playoffs, and given we were up 4-0 in one game, and another game went to extra innings, it's one that got away for us.

"We learnt a lot from that series, and we're really looking forward to our first home series against the Heat."

Knight says consistency will be the key for the Bite this season.

"At our best, we're going to be very tough to beat, but those lapses in concentration cost us dearly last year," he said.

"If we can limit the damage when the opposition gets going, and make the most of our momentum when we get hot, it'll be a good season for our boys."

Adelaide kicks off the new ABL season with a four-game series away to the Brisbane Bandits on October 30.