Drive Return Core of Coaching Staff from 2023 Championship Season

Greenville, S.C. — The Greenville Drive, High-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, announced their 2024 Field Staff today, anchored by a returning core that guided the Drive to the 2023 South Atlantic League Championship. Manager Iggy Suarez and Pitching Coach Bob Kipper return to the Drive for their sixth consecutive season at the helm, while Development Coach Alex Reynolds and Athletic Trainer Charysse Berkowski return for a second go-around in Greenville.

“We’re ecstatic to have Iggy and Bob back here in Greenville,” said Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko. “They’ve become familiar faces in our community, and for them to return for their sixth straight season speaks to the trust the Red Sox have in them to continue to guide these young players in the early stages of their careers.”

In addition to the core remaining in Greenville, two new faces to the Red Sox organization will join the Drive in 2024. JP Fasone comes to Greenville as the team’s Hitting Coach and Tyler Snep arrives as the team’s assistant coach, following the promotion of 2023 hitting coach Chris Hess to the AA Portland Sea Dogs.

Donny Gress, the Drive’s strength and conditioning coach for the past two seasons, also earned a promotion to Portland for the 2024 season. An announcement of Gress’ replacement will come at a later date.

“We’re happy to have Charysee and Alex back as well, and excited to see what JP and Tyler will bring to the team as they chase back-to-back championships,” added Jarinko. “We wish Chris and Donny all the best on their next adventures.”

Suarez, the 42-year old and Queens, NY native, will look to build off the 2023 season and will likely do so with a roster that includes many of the key pieces that delivered a championship to Greenville. Not only did Suarez help guide the Drive to a title, his focus on player development in 2023 helped 18 players from the 2023 roster reach AA Portland before the season’s end.

Prior to his Drive tenure, Suarez served as manager of the Lowell Spinners for two seasons from 2016-2017, leading them to a New York-Penn League Stedler Division title in 2016. Prior to his appointment as manager in Lowell, Suarez served as the Spinners hitting coach in 2015. A 24th round selection by the Red Sox from Texas State in 2003, he played seven seasons in the Boston organization, reaching AAA-Pawtucket in 2009. He played four seasons in the independent Atlantic League from 2010-2013 before his coaching career.

The 2024 season will mark Greenville-resident Kipper's 11th season as the Drive’s pitching coach. He returned to Greenville in that role in 2018, serving previously in the same role from 2005-2006 as well as 2008-2009. The 59-year-old served as the Red Sox bullpen coach in 2002 and also held stints as the pitching coach in AAA-Pawtucket from 2015-2017, as well as in AA-Portland from 2010-2014.

Last season’s success saw nine Drive pitchers reach AA Portland, while pitchers promoted to Greenville were instrumental in securing the Drive’s sweep of the South Atlantic League Playoffs.

A former first-round pick (8th overall) by the California Angels in 1982 out of high school, Kipper spent eight seasons in the major leagues, with seven of those coming with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His best season came in 1989 with the Pirates, where he logged a 2.93 ERA in 52 appearances out of the bullpen.

Fasone joins the Red Sox organization and the Drive following an almost three-year stint as a hitting trainer for Driveline Baseball — a premier player development organization based out of Kent, WA which trains players from youth to professional levels. An Englewood, CO native, Fasone played at the collegiate level for the University of Dallas.

Snep joins the Drive in the seasonal assistant coaching role after serving as the Baseball Director of Player Development for the University of Iowa. The Arlington Heights, IL native played collegiately for the Hawkeyes from 2020 to 2022 and was named a team captain prior to the 2022 season.

Reynolds, a Hopkinton, MA native, returns to the Drive’s Development Coach role for his second season. Reynolds previously played at the collegiate level for Babson College in Wellesley, MA. He spent 2022 as a pitching intern with Cressey Sports Performance, working with pitchers from high school to MLB levels.

Berkowski returns to the Drive as head athletic trainer again in 2024. She previously served as assistant athletic trainer for AA-Portland and worked as an athletic training intern with the Chicago Cubs.