Field Staff

Ricky Rivera, in his first season as Corpus Christi’s field chief, comes to South Texas following a two-year run at the helm of the Houston Astros Class A post in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Rivera is the 10th manager in 20 seasons of Hooks Baseball.

This offseason, Rivera was named manager of the year in the Puerto Rican winter league after piloting San Juan to the championship series for the first time since 1997. The 31-year-old was the youngest skipper in the circuit, and ultimately represented Puerto Rico in the 2025 Caribbean Series, serving as third base coach for Mayagüez.

A native of Dorado, Puerto Rico, Rivera officially began his Astros tenure in December 2019 before managing in the Florida Complex League in 2021 and 2022.

A right-handed pitcher and infield in college, Rivera helped Northeastern Oklahoma A&M win regular-season titles in 2012 and 2013. He then transferred to Central Missouri, the alma mater of Astros owner Jim Crane, pitching two seasons for the Mules. Rivera earned a Communications degree at Central Missouri, where he was also a graduate assistant coach.

Alex Harter is in his first season with the Hooks and his second campaign as a Houston Astros pitching coach.

Prior to beginning his Astros tenure at High-A Asheville (North Carolina) last season, Harter, 28, coached at Middlebury College in Vermont and at his alma mater, the University of Findlay in Ohio.

A former instructor at Driveline Baseball Academy, Harter helped lead Middlebury to the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship in 2022, as well as a runner-up finish the following year.

The Findlay, Ohio native was a four-year starting pitcher for the Findlay Oilers, earning Great Midwest Athletic Conference All-Academic honors each season. Upon graduating with a Marketing and Finance degree, Harter served as the Oilers pitching coach in 2020 and 2021.

Bobby Bell returns for his third season with the Hooks. Bell joined the Astros player development system prior to the 2023 campaign, bringing with him over 20 years of professional baseball experience.

In addition to coaching in the Anaheim Angels, Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers organizations, Bell, 61, has instructed in independent ball while leading hitting clinics across the country.

His stops include the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Single-A South Atlantic League), Jupiter Hammerheads (High-A Florida State League), Carolina Mudcats (High-A Carolina League), Frontier League, and Northern League.

Signed in 1986 as a minor league free agent with the California Angels out of Mesa State College, now Colorado Mesa University, the Lafayette, Indiana native played in parts of three pro seasons while seeing action at catcher (72 GM) and third base (26 GM).

Jeff Calhoon begins his Hooks tenure after serving as development coach for Class A Fayetteville (North Carolina) last season.

Prior to joining the Astros, Calhoon coached at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, helping the Camels to back-to-back Big South titles as well as a NCAA Regional appearance in 2023.

The Snohomish, Washington native boasts more than 10 years of collegiate coaching experience in California, including the head job at Biola University in La Mirada. Calhoon also worked at Point Loma Nazarene (San Diego), UC San Diego, and Westmont College (Santa Barbara).

Calhoon’s time at UCSD was highlighted by back-to-back Division II West Regional titles as well as a runner-up finish in the 2017 DII College World Series.

During his playing career, Calhoon made stops at Azusa Pacific University (Calif.), Skagit Valley College (Mount Vernon, Wash.), and Niagara University (Lewiston, N.Y.) where he appeared in 59 games over two seasons as a catcher while earning a Communications degree. Calhoon received his M.A. in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia-Irvine (Calif.) in 2018.

Jennifer Bardales returns to Corpus Christi for her fifth campaign with the Houston Astros. Prior to debuting with the Hooks last season, Bardales served at the Astros Class A post in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 2023.

In 2022, the Houston native won Florida Complex League Athletic Trainer of the Year honors by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society while working at Houston’s training outpost in West Palm Beach.

Bardales, who owns a master’s degree in Athletic Training from the University of Houston, also graduated from UTSA (Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology, 2017), San Jacinto College (Associate of Arts, 2015), and Dobie High School where she participated in the sports medicine program and served as a member of HOSA, a student organization for future healthcare professionals.

Bardales augmented her time in college classrooms by being a student athletic trainer for the Roadrunners, Cougars, and Rice Owls. She is currently active in the National Athletic Training Association, Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Greater Houston Athletic Trainers’ Society, and PBATS.

Jennifer’s hobbies include yoga, reading, and cooking. She credits her success to her parents who met in Houston after immigrating to the United States. Rene and Vanessa pushed their two daughters to pursue higher education. Jennifer and her sister, Veronica, both own three college degrees. Veronica is a trauma ICU nurse in Houston.

Kevin Rivera joins the Hooks in 2025 following a two-year stint at the Houston Astros Class A affiliate in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Rivera’s Astros tenure began in the Dominican Summer League in 2021. The next year, he operated from the Florida Complex League in West Palm Beach.

Rivera received his bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, where he was a four-year member of the track and field team. He then earned a master’s in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.

A native of Long Island’s Huntington Station, Rivera underwent a seasonal stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2020 after designing and implementing conditioning programs for the USA Field Hockey Women’s National Team in 2019.

Rivera is accredited by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

In the offseason, Kevin volunteers at his alma mater, Walt Whitman High School, helping student-athletes learn the proper mechanics of weight training, shot put and discus throw.

Kara Beitler is entering her second season as Hooks dietician, and her third working in the Houston Astros system. A product of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, Beitler was a member of Fayetteville’s (North Carolina) Class A field staff in 2023.

Prior to joining the Astros, Beitler completed sports nutrition internships at the University of Louisville and Miami Marlins, assisting the club’s minor league dietician and nutrition coordinator.

At Ball State, Beitler earned a master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and was a graduate assistant at the university’s Healthy Lifestyle Center.

Kara grew up in Northwest Indiana (Hammond, Indiana and Monee, Illinois) and has been around baseball since age 5, when her dad, Kevin Beitler Sr., signed her up for T-ball! Kevin coached and volunteered at Hessville Little League in Hammond, so Kara spent almost every weekend at the ballpark. The Chicagoland native is living her dream of working in Major League Baseball.