Milwaukee Brewers Announce Shuckers 2024 Coaching Staff

BILOXI, MS – The Milwaukee Brewers have announced the 2024 coaching staff for the Biloxi Shuckers ahead of Biloxi’s ninth season since moving to the Coast in 2015. Long-time Brewers affiliate manager Joe Ayrault has been named the third manager in franchise history after 13 seasons in High-A, one in Single-A and two at the Rookie-level. Ayrault succeeds Mike Guerrero, who was named the Brewers Roving Infield Instructor after seven years at the helm of the Shuckers.

Ayrault will be joined by bench coach Fidel Peña, pitching coach Will Schierholz, hitting coach J.J. Reimer, bullpen coach Paul Moeller and development coach Danny Larson. Andrew Staehling will serve as the team’s head athletic trainer and Grant Kastelan will serve as the team’s strength and conditioning specialist.

Ayrault joins the Shuckers after spending the last two years in High-A with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, managing former Shucker All-Stars such as Jackson Chourio, Carlos F. Rodriguez, Tyler Black and Jeferson Quero. Ayrault enters the 2024 season with 965 wins, including 826 at the High-A level. Previous managerial stops include the Carolina Mudcats (2017-21), Brevard County Manatees (2012-16), Helena Brewers (2010-11) and Sarasota Reds (2007-09). Over his 16-year managerial career, Ayrault has reached the playoffs twice, including winning the 2010 Pioneer League championship with the Helena Brewers. He has also served as a coach with the GCL Reds (2004-05), Stockton Ports (2003), Savannah Sand Gnats (2002) and the GCL Rangers (2001). He joined the coaching ranks after an eight-year career in the Atlanta Braves organization, including a World Series appearance in 1996 with the Braves under manager Bobby Cox.

Peña enters his first season at the Double-A level with the Shuckers as the team’s bench coach after spending the last four seasons as a manager with the Brewers affiliates in the Dominican Summer League. 2024 marks his eighth season in the organization, including stops with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Carolina Mudcats. Outside of the Brewers, Peña has spent time in the Columbian Winter League (Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombia) with the Caimanes de Barranquilla and Toros de Sincelejo, serving as the quality control and third base with Barranquilla during the 2023/24 season. He also served as the first and third base coach for Team Colombia in the 2022 Caribbean Series, helping Colombia win its first-ever title. Peña spent eight years in the minor leagues as a player with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brewers organizations. He played under Ayrault during the 2016 season with the Brevard County Manatees, appearing in 88 games.

Schierholz enters his second season as the team’s pitching coach after leading a staff that broke the franchise record for strikeouts during the 2023 season. Schierholz also managed a staff that included current Milwaukee Brewers reliever Abner Uribe along with top prospects Carlos F. Rodriguez and Jacob Misiorowski. He previously worked under Ayrault in 2022 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Before joining the Brewers organization, he worked as an assistant coach with St. Louis University (2018-21), Miami University (OH) (2017) and Jefferson College (2016). With St. Louis, he helped the staff in 2018 to a top-25 ranking nationally in shutouts, hits allowed per nine and ERA while the team reached the NCAA Tournament. He spent two years pitching at the professional level with the River City Rascals of the Frontier League in 2015 and 2016 after graduating from Miami University (OH). With the Rascals, he made 79 appearances and had a 3.05 ERA.

Reimer rejoins the Shuckers after previously serving as the team’s development coach in 2021 and enters his third season with the Brewers organization. He spent this past fall in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros which included former Shuckers Wes Clarke and Eric Brown Jr.. With the Saguaros, he helped the team to an Arizona Fall League title and was Clarke’s pitcher during the league’s home run derby. In 2023, he served as the hitting coach for the Carolina Mudcats, helping the franchise reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Before joining the Brewers, he spent two years as the assistant coach with the softball program at the University of Northern Iowa. Reimer also played two years at the NCAA DI level with Western Illinois, garnering Second-Team All-Summit League honors as a junior in 2015. He also was named a Third-Team NJCAA All-American in 2013 while at Ellsworth Community College.

In the bullpen, Moeller returns to Biloxi for his first full season after joining the coaching staff at the mid-way point of the 2023 season. Moeller previously served as the pitching coach for the ACL Brewers before his mid-season promotion to Biloxi. Previous stops have included being the pitching coach for the ACL Brewers Gold in 2022 and DSL Brewers 2 in 2021, where he coached alongside Fidel Peña. He was originally slated to serve as the development coach with the Shuckers in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before joining the Brewers organization, Moeller spent the 2019/20 off-season as a volunteer assistant with Santa Clara University at the NCAA DI level and with San Francisco State in 2019 at the NCAA DII level. He also spent seven years with the Walbeck Baseball Academy as an instructor, director of training, membership manager and sales manager. Moeller pitched for three years at the NCAA level, including two with the University of Pacific in the Big West and San Francisco State in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Larson, after being hired by the Brewers this off-season, is set to join the Shuckers as the team’s development coach for his first season in professional baseball. Previously, he served as the hitting coach with Iowa Central Community College for the 2023 season, helping the Tritons to a 46-win season and a trip to the 2023 NJCAA DII Region 11 Championship. He also served as the hitting coach, recruiting coordinator and assistant coach with North Iowa Area Community College during the 2021 and 2022 seasons while also serving as the operations, sales and marketing director with Pitch 2 Pitch in Minnesota. Larson also has experience at the high school level, serving as the head varsity coach with North St. Paul High School, as an assistant with Irondale Senior High School and as the freshman team coach at St. Thomas Academy.

Kastelan enters his third season with Biloxi as the team’s strength and conditioning specialist. He joined the Brewers’ staff after spending four years at Appalachian State University working as a strength coach for baseball, women’s basketball and women’s tennis. He completed a graduate assistant position at Lindenwood University where he worked with multiple sports including baseball. Kastelan has also completed internships with the University of Notre Dame football program, the Ohio State University Olympic strength and conditioning, and Pepperdine University.

Staehling enters his second season with the Shuckers as an athletic trainer and his sixth season in the Brewers’ organization. He previously served as the athletic trainer for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers during the 2022 season. Staehling rejoined the Brewers organization in 2019 after spending a year and a half as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. He originally joined the Brewers in 2017 as an Athletic Training Intern while attending Marquette University. He graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Athletic Training in 2018 and from Stephen F. Austin in 2020 with a master’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science.

Tickets are also available for the 2024 Hancock Whitney Classic at the ballpark featuring Southern Miss, Nicholls, Mississippi State, New Orleans and South Alabama on Tuesday, February 27, Tuesday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 13.

The Biloxi Shuckers open the 2024 season at home on Friday, April 5 against the Montgomery Biscuits. Shuck Nation memberships, Flex Plans and group outings are available now by visiting biloxishuckers.com, the ballpark offices and by calling (228) 233-3465.

ABOUT THE BILOXI SHUCKERS:

The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Shuckers are members of the Southern League and play in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information please visit biloxishuckers.com and follow us on Twitter @biloxishuckers and at facebook.com/biloxishuckers.

ABOUT SHUCKERS BASEBALL, LLC:

Shuckers Baseball, LLC is a MS entity owned and operated by John Tracy. Shuckers Baseball operates the Biloxi Shuckers baseball franchise, including operating the team’s ballpark for Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball games and other entertainment and recreational events.