Tri-City Valleycats first-year manager Greg Tagert knows the Frontier League all too well.

“To think that 25 years ago, that the Frontier League would be in Quebec, people wouldn't have believed you. They’d have said there’s just no way. But it’s great for the league, the footprint. The commissioner, Steve Tahsler, has done a wonderful job.”

It’s where he got his managerial start all the way back in 1995 with the Ohio Valley Redcoats. After a year elsewhere, Tagert returned to the Frontier League in 1997, when he managed several clubs through 2004, including the Evansville Otters.

“To be quite honest, there weren't a lot of Tri-City Valleycats back in those early years,” he said. “And the league was finding its way. The league was finding its identity. So markets like Evansville became such a signature place.”

Those early years in his career taught him the importances of stability. It’s why Tagert went on to manage the Gary SouthShore Railcats for 16 seasons. And he’s now hoping to replicate that in the Capital Region.

“I did as much research about this place as they did on me,” Tagert said. “And it's one of those things that I just came away so impressed and has lived up to every expectation.”

“I learned that's what's most important – that you find the right markets, the right ownership group. And you've got something that will work for the future,” he said.

The Valleycats are currently in their fourth season in the Frontier League, and Tagert is just their second manager since making the switch to independent baseball, taking over for Pete Incaviglia in the offseason.

“There was a lot of adjustments, but in a good way,” Tagert said. “We're kind of finding our way through trying to create an identity that resembles what clubs I've had in the past, but also reflects what's going on here and the success the Valleycats have had in the last three years.”

After a difficult May and June, Tagert has gotten the Valleycats back on track and in the race for the playoffs. He believes this club has what it takes to make that final push.

“I think sometimes you look for a club, ‘hey, are we a power-hitting club? Are we a small ball club?’ I look for an identity. What kind of club are we? I think we showed it this weekend: grit, determination, all those things,” he said.