Storm Coaching Staff Announced for 25th Season

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - The Lake Elsinore Storm, in conjunction with the San Diego Padres, have announced their 2018 coaching staff led by Edwin Rodriguez , the 15^th manager in franchise history, at the helm for Lake Elsinore once again.
"I'm very excited about the 2018 season, going into my second year with a first-class organization and fan base," said Rodriguez. "We're expecting to have an exciting young ballclub, including some of the best talent in the organization."
The first Puerto Rican-born manager in Major League Baseball history, Rodriguez compiled a 78-85 record over two seasons as skipper of the Florida Marlins from June 23, 2010 to June 18, 2011. Additionally, he has served various player development roles for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Minnesota Twins organizations while also managing nearly 1,600 total games in 10 different leagues. As a player, Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees as a minor league free agent in 1980 and made his Major League debut wearing pinstripes at age 22, playing parts of three seasons with the Yankees and Padres. The Ponce native represented his country as manager of Team Puerto Rico in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic, reaching the finals in both international tournaments.
Pitching Coach Pete Zamora will make his Storm debut in 2018 after serving the previous two seasons as the pitching coach for San Diego's Rookie Level affiliate in Peoria, Ariz. and in the Arizona Fall League in 2016. Zamora enjoyed an eight-year minor league career after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1997 out of UCLA, where he was a two-time All-Pac 10 standout and helped the team advance to the College World Series his final season.
Doug Banks will serve the role of Storm Hitting Coach after holding that position for the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps in 2017 and for the Rookie Level affiliate the year before. Prior to joining the San Diego organization, Banks served in various roles for the Texas Rangers organization. He played two seasons at the University of Arizona.
Freddy Flores returns to the Storm as a Fielding Coach, his second season with the Padres organization. Born and raised in New Mexico, Flores spent nine seasons playing and coaching for independent professional teams before joining the Padres system last season. He also spent 2013 and 2015 playing for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League.
Athletic Trainer Ricky Huerta, the Storm's most veteran staff member, returns for his third season in Lake Elsinore and his ninth with the Padres. Strength Coach Jay Young joins the Storm after spending 2017 with Fort Wayne.