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RiverDogs Announce 2023 Coaching Staff

RiverDogs Announce 2023 Coaching Staff

January 24, 2023 – Carolina League (CarL)Charleston RiverDogs News Release

Charleston, SC – The Charleston RiverDogs are just over two months away from beginning their quest for a third consecutive league championship. A new-look coaching staff will be leading that mission in 2023. Sean Smedley, the team’s bench coach during the 2021 campaign, will take over as manager. The rest of the coaching staff, announced by the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday morning, features returners Perry Roth as hitting coach and Mia Salvemini as strength and conditioning coach. Newcomers to Charleston include pitching coach Levi Romero, bench coach Ronnie Richardson and athletic trainer Halee Williams.


This will be the 32-year-old Smedley’s first managerial job after spending each of the past six seasons as part of the coaching staff at various levels in the Rays farm system. His coaching career began when he was the video coordinator for the rookie-level Princeton Rays in 2016. In 2017, he returned to Princeton, this time as the bench coach. For the next two seasons, Smedley was part of Blake Butera’s staff as the bench coach for the Hudson Valley Renegades. Those teams combined to go 88-62.

The native of Colorado was announced as the manager in Princeton for the 2020 season, but due to COVID-19 that campaign was canceled, and each team’s farm system was condensed. When play resumed in 2021, Smedley again was part of Butera’s staff as the bench coach, this time in Charleston. That team went 82-38, led the league in batting average and home runs and captured the first championship in franchise history. Most recently, Smedley was the bench coach for Double-A Montgomery under manager Morgan Ensberg.

“I am truly honored to be named the manager of the RiverDogs and excited to return to the Holy City,” said Smedley. “I can’t wait to get to work at The Joe in April!”

During his playing days as a catcher, Smedley was a prep standout at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He played one year of junior college ball at Yavapai College before transferring to Division II Texas A&M International. He went undrafted at the end of his college career but was signed as a free agent by the Rays shortly after the draft’s conclusion. In three professional seasons, he appeared in 24 games total between the Gulf Coast League Rays and Single-A Bowling Green.

This season will be Roth’s second with both the Rays and RiverDogs after coaching at the college level since 1996. Under his tutelage…

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