Staff
Douglas M. Epling
Owner
Doug is the proud owner of the West Virginia Miners Baseball Club and Linda K. Epling Stadium. He is also owns three coal mining operations; Mountain Edge Mining, Legacy Resources and Hanover Resources. Prior to his current position, he served as the Chief Engineer for Beckley Coal Mining Company for 19 years. Doug has been involved for many years with boxing and baseball throughout the state of West Virginia. In addition to building and designing Linda K. Epling Stadium, Doug funded and built the baseball facilities at Woodrow Wilson High School and West Virginia Tech and is a member of the Southern WV boxing Hall of Fame. His other accomplishments include:
- Chairman of the Beckley Police Commission
- Board Member of the West Virginia Parkways Authority
- Member and Past Master of Coal City Masonic Lodge #156, Royal Arch Mason and 32 Degree Scottish Rite Mason
- Member of the Crab Orchard-MacArthur Lions Club
- Served as West Virginia State Boxing Commissioner for 9 years
- Member of the board of Visitors at West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Linda K. Epling
Owner
Linda and her husband, Douglas Epling, are co-owners of the Linda K. Epling Stadium and the West Virginia Miners Baseball Team. They have three sons: Tim, Gary Douglas and Matthew and two lovely daughters’ in-law Debbie and Stephanie. In addition, Doug and Linda are active grandparents who support their three grandchildren Kendrick, Kayla, and Elizabeth in all of their sport
s and endeavors.
Linda was raised in Odd, WV by her parents, Tracy and Geraldine Farley Shrewsbury. She attended Stoco High School and graduated from Concord College in 1984. In 1991, she received her Masters Degree from WVCOGS and went on to teach Social Studies at Stratton Jr. High and Beckley-Stratton Middle School for 21 years. Linda retired from the Raleigh County Board of Education in 2005.
Doug and Linda attend Faith Baptist Church in Prosperity, WV where they have lead a program for senior citizens, Young @ Heart, for 15 years.
Linda and her sister founded Faith Journey, a weekend retreat for Christian women, at Moncove Lake in Monroe County. Each Thursday she leads has a Bible Study group in her home.
GOD IS FIRST
FAMILY IS SECOND
EVERYTHING ELSE IS THIRD
Tim Epling
Team Manager
Tim is the founder of the Upper Deck Baseball/Softball Training Center in Beckley, West Virginia. For the past twenty (20) years, Tim has been dedicated to the sport of baseball and will brings a wealth of professional baseball experience to his position as Field Manager of the West Virginia Miners.
1981 - 1983 Tim pitched for Nation Power North Carolina Methodist College where they finished #3 and #5 in the country.
1985 - 1990 Professional Baseball Umpire
1996 - 2000 Field Manager, Liberty High School; Led the baseball program to its first Sectional Championship. In five seasons, Tim compiled a 101-32 record.
2001 - 2008 Head Coach, West Virginia Tech Baseball Program; During those 7 years, WVU beat 32 nationally ranked teams. One of the victories was against #1 ranked Emery Riddle, who ended up as runner-up in the NAIA College World Series. His pitching staff was consistently ranked in the top 5 programs in the country. His pitching staff pitched 3 no hitters in 3 consecutive years.
2008 - In the fall of 2008, Coach Epling founded the Upper Deck Baseball/Softball Training Center with the intent to bring a unique approach of baseball/softball development to Southern West Virginia. Coach Epling often travels around the United States speaking to players and coaches. In addition, Tim trains various elite players and develops comprehensive programs on pitching and hitting for coaches at all levels of instruction.
Matthew Epling
Director of Entertainment & Media
Gary Epling
Director of Security & Crowd Control
Gary is the Director of Security Services for Linda K. Epling Stadium and also serves as a bench coach for the West Virginia Miners. In addition, he is a full time Detective of Drug Investigations for the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office. Gary played baseball competitively through high school and as through the American Legion level where he was recruited by the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as many Division 1 NCAA schools. Instead of pursuing a career in baseball, Gary proudly enlisted with the United States Marine Corp. While serving in the Marines, Gary was assigned operational training duties with the Navy Seal Teams and Delta Force. After serving our country and participating in several conflicts, Gary pursued a career in law enforcement where he has spent the past 18 years in public service
Ashlee Roderick
Account Executive
Ashlee was hired because of her eye for detail and her analytical personality. From answering phones, to administrating season and daily ticket sales, to facilitating a variety of information for the West Virginia Miners, Ashlee Roderick fills in the blanks and smoothes the edges on a day to day basis for the West Virginia Miners Baseball Club.
Ashlee graduated in 2005 from Central Gwinnett High School as an Honor Student. She played basketball and softball throughout her four years of high school. As a freshman, she helped lead her team to a State Championship Title in 2001 by knocking in the winning run. After graduating from high school, Ashlee went on to play four years of softball as a captain for Bluefield State College while earning her degree.
Ashlee put these skills to work for the West Virginia Miners first by graduating with honors and earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architectural Engineering Technology from Bluefield State College in 2009. Bluefield State first caught Ashlee’s eye in 2005 when she was offered a Softball Scholarship by the Head Coach. Shortly after graduating from Bluefield State, Ashlee joined the West Virginia Miners Staff and played a very important role during their Inaugural Season.
Ashlee is originally from Lawrenceville, GA where she got her start as a fastpitch softball player as well as gained her competitive spirit and her passion for the game. Between Ashlee’s love for the game of baseball/softball as well as her analytical skills makes her a valuable member of the front office and a job that is a perfect match for her.
Joe Goddard
Coach
Joe is a graduate of Marshall University where he was a catcher for the Marshall University baseball team. He was an 8th round draft selection of the San Diego Padres after his junior year. In 1972, Goddard was called into the major league twice with the Houston Astros, once in July and again in September. Goddard’s major highlights include: his first game at the Houston Astrodome, playing against Hall of Famer, Henry “Hank” Aaron, his 2nd day in the majors, and his firstt hit at Dodgers Stadium off of Claude Osteen. Of the 6 years Joe played ball, he was a member of 4 championship teams in 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1976, being coached by the Famous Duke Snyder. In the fall of 1976, Goddard returned to WV where he began coaching at Independence High School. At Independence, Goddard is the assistant football coach and has been the Head Baseball Coach for 35 years. He coached the first State Championship Baseball team at Independence in 1990. He has made 5 state tournament appearances with the patriots and won several sectional championships.
Personal: Parents Harold “Bluie” and Thelma Goddard of Sophia, WV. Wife Angela and two children, Matt (22) and Nicole (25). Both graduated from Independence High School as their class Valedictorian and are each Majoring in the Medical Field.
Danny Flores
Coach
Danny Flores is originally from West Palm Beach and Miami, Florida. Flores was recruited to play college baseball in
2004 for Garrett College in McHenry, Maryland. Flores played for the Lakers of Garrett College for two years. Flores had one of the highest batting averages on the team.
In 2006, he was recruited by Tim Epling to play for West Virginia Tech University. While in college he was awarded the Most Improved Player Award, as well as, First Team All- Conference Utility Player. Flores was known as the Best Instinctive Player and ended his college career hitting .333 and stealing over 50 stolen bases.
While at WV Tech, Flores was a Graduate Assistant Coach under Head Coach Lawrence Nesselrodt for one year. After college ball, Flores spent three seasons playing semi- pro baseball in Maryland for the Oakland Oaks. After he graduated Flores worked at the Upper Deck Baseball Academy in Beckley, where he was a baseball instructor and personal trainer. Flores enters into his second season as Assistant Baseball Coach, Head JV Coach, and Facilities Manager for the Rams.
Personal: His parents are Lucy and Junior Flores. Born september 30 th. Major in Business/Sports Management Graduated in Spring of 2009 from WVU.
Danny is currently the infield coach and the 1st base coach during the games for the West Virginia Miners. Danny is also looking forward to his 2nd season with the West Virginia Miners.
Dave Traube("The Voice of the West Virginia Miners")
Dave will be in his third year with the West Virginia Miners, but it is his first as a full-time employee. He is the Director of Sales and Marketing/Baseball Operations for the team.
Dave has been the radio broadcast voice of the Miners from the very first Opening Day of the very first season and will continue in that role for 2012. His high energy broadcasts have become a staple for Miners fans.
Dave graduated from Woodrow Wilson high school in Beckley, WV in 2006 with a 4.0 GPA and an emphasis in communications and marketing. From there he attended Marshall University in Huntington, WV, graduating with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, as well as numerous awards for his work on both radio and television.
Dave splits his time between Beckley and Huntington during the off-season. He is an avid sports fan, musician and movie buff.
Personal: His parents Kevin and Jane Traube reside in Beckley, WV. Born September 10th.
Dave Traube
Tom Martin
Official Scorekeeper
Keith Thompson
PA Announcer
