January 21, 2025 – Carolina League (CarL)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release
Charleston, SC – The Charleston RiverDogs hunt for a fifth-consecutive trip to the Carolina League postseason will be led by several familiar faces. Manager Sean Smedley, who guided the team to a championship in 2023 and the South Division second half title in 2024, is set to return for a third season at the helm. The rest of the coaching staff, announced by the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday morning, features returners Brett Schneider as hitting coach and Levi Romero as pitching coach. Bench coach Francisco Leandro returns to Charleston for the first time since 2019 when he was the team’s defensive coach while with the New York Yankees organization. Spending their first year in the Holy City will be strength and conditioning coach Rance Terry and athletic trainer Kyndell Crowell.
Smedley is entering his ninth season with the Rays and third as the manager in Charleston. In his first two seasons as manager, the 34-year-old has compiled a 135-126 regular season record with a 5-3 mark in the postseason. His teams have consistently shown improvement throughout the season, combining to post a .623 winning percentage in the second half. Smedley is scheduled to attend the RiverDogs Hot Stove Dinner on January 31st.
His coaching career began as 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 former RiverDogs manager Blake Butera’s staff as the bench coach for the Hudson Valley Renegades.
The native of Colorado was announced as the manager in Princeton for the 2020 season, however before play began the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Smedley then spent one season as the bench coach for Double-A Montgomery, before returning to Charleston in 2023.
“I am really excited to have the opportunity to return to Charleston for another season,” said Smedley. “The fun part about this level is working with young players and helping them improve as they adapt to a full season of professional baseball. April can’t get here soon enough.”
Schneider returns to the Lowcountry as hitting coach after a 2024 campaign that featured…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Carolina League CarL News…