Fayetteville Woodpeckers Announce 2024 Coaching Staff 

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, in conjunction with the Houston Astros, have announced their 2024 field staff and welcome back Ricky Rivera as manager of the club for a second season.

Joining Rivera’s staff will be pitching coach Zach Wilkins, who also returns for a second season, hitting coach Andrew Cresci, who joins from the Florida Complex League Astros, and development coach Jeff Calhoon, who was an assistant coach at nearby Campbell University in 2023. Kevin Rivera returns for a second season as strength coach and Kily Gilbert joins as head athletic trainer.

Ricky Rivera returns to Fayetteville after leading the Woodpeckers to a 60-win season during the summer of 2023 and becomes the first manager in franchise history to head the club for two consecutive years.

Rivera was named the fourth manager in Woodpeckers history in February of 2023 following the promotion of former Fayetteville manager Joe Thon to Corpus Christi (AA). This marks Rivera’s fourth season as a minor league manager. He joined the Astros organization in 2020 and spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons managing the Florida Complex League Astros. As a player, Rivera began his college career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in 2012, helping the Golden Norsemen to back-to-back regular season championships as a freshman and sophomore. Rivera transferred to the University of Central Missouri and pitched two seasons for the Mules, receiving an All-MIAA Honorable Mention in 2014. Rivera is no stranger to Fayetteville either, as he spent the summer of 2014 playing for the Fayetteville SwampDogs of the Coastal Plains League.

A native of Dorado, Puerto Rico, Rivera attended Dorado Academy where he was a two time All-Country team selection and helped Dorado to a conference title. He was also a volleyball standout in high school. Rivera grew up a Yankees fan and idolized Roberto Clemente as a kid.

Wilkins joined the Astros organization in 2023 following three seasons as pitching coach for Utah Tech University. Under his leadership, last year’s Woodpeckers pitching staff held the fourth lowest ERA (3.93) and struck out the most hitters (1,455) across the Carolina League. Prior to his time at Utah Tech, Wilkins was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Arizona for two years. While earning his bachelor’s degree, Wilkins pitched two seasons at the

University of Nevada and helped the program win its first-ever Mountain West Championship as a junior in 2015. Wilkins began his college career at Palomar College in San Marcos, California, posting an 8-1 record and 1.41 ERA over 12 career starts. A San Diego native, Wilkins attended Scripps Ranch High School where he was a two-sport letter winner in baseball and basketball. He is the son of former Astros pitcher Dean Wilkins, who spent the 1991 season in Houston.

Cresci joined the Astros in December of 2021 and comes to Fayetteville as the fifth hitting coach in franchise history after two seasons as hitting coach for the Florida Complex League Astros. Under his coaching the 2023 FCL Astros lineup led the league in home runs and were second across the circuit in contact percentage. He made a brief stop in Fayetteville during the 2022 summer, filling in as hitting coach over the final month of the season.

Prior to the Astros, Cresci worked in player development at Driveline Baseball in Kent, Washington, coaching collegiate and professional hitters with cutting-edge data collection and analysis. He played club baseball at Sacred Heart University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2014. Creci also played internationally in Rome, Italy for S.S. Lazio Baseball Club.

Calhoon joined the Astros organization in 2024 after working up the road in nearby Buies Creek, North Carolina as an assistant coach for the Campbell University Baseball program. In 2023 the Camels won their second-straight Big South Championship going 46-15 and made an appearance in the Columbia Regional Final.

The Snohomish, Washington native brings over ten years of coaching experience to Fayetteville following other stops as manager at Biola University, recruiting coordinator at Point Loma Nazarene, and assistant coaching roles at UC San Diego and Westmont College. During his college career, Calhoun played at Azuza Pacific University, Skagit Valley College, and Niagara University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications study. He furthered his education at Concordia University, earning a master’s degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration.

Kevin Rivera starts his fourth season with Houston and his second in Fayetteville after serving as the strength and conditioning coach in 2023. He spent previous summers in the FCL and at the Astros Dominican Summer League Complex. Prior to his time with the Astros, Kevin worked in strength and conditioning with the Detroit Tigers as well as USA Field Hockey. Rivera earned his bachelor’s degree in 2017 at Franklin Pierce University while being a member of the Ravens’ track and field team. He later received his master’s degree in 2019 at Long Island University.

Gilbert joins Fayetteville as head athletic trainer in her first season with the Astros. She is originally from Roseburg, Oregon and attended Oregon State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology in 2019 and a master’s degree in 2021.

The new season begins on Friday April 5^th, at Myrtle Beach, with the home opener scheduled for Tuesday, April 9^th against the Charleston RiverDogs at 6:05 pm. The Woodpeckers will again play a 132-game schedule with 66 games at Segra Stadium, celebrating its fifth year of operation in 2024.