RICHMOND, Va. – Dennis Pelfrey will return to manage the Richmond Flying Squirrels for a fourth season in 2025, the team announced on Tuesday. He will become the longest-tenured manager in the history of the team.

The 2025 Flying Squirrels coaching staff will also include pitching coach Paul Oseguera, hitting coach Cory Elasik, fundamentals coach Lipso Nava, athletic trainer Tim Vigue and strength & conditioning coach Michelle Kuda, who all return from last season. The Flying Squirrels’ coaching staff is set by the San Francisco Giants.

Pelfrey will be the first manager in team history to lead the club for four seasons. His 204 wins with Richmond are 12 shy of matching the franchise record of 216, set by Dave Machemer from 2011-2013.

Pelfrey took over as Richmond’s manager in 2022 and led the club to back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in franchise history in his first two years. In his first season, the Flying Squirrels clinched the Southwest Division’s first-half title to reach the postseason for the first time in eight years. In 2023, Richmond closed out a second-half division crown and posted the second-best regular-season record in franchise history. From the last three years’ Flying Squirrels teams, 23 players have gone on to make their MLB debuts, including 22 with the Giants.

“I’m so happy to be back in Richmond for the 2025 season,” Pelfrey said. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time in Richmond with the best front office and fans in Minor League Baseball. Our goal this year stays the same: To bring an Eastern League championship to Richmond.”

Prior to his time in Richmond, Pelfrey led the High-A Eugene Emeralds to the Northwest League championship in 2021.

As a player, Pelfrey spent six seasons playing professionally in the Frontier, Texas-Louisiana and Central Leagues. He began his professional coaching career in 2011 with the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Indiana. He landed his first managerial position with the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League in 2015, leading the team to the postseason in four of his six seasons. Pelfrey joined the Giants organization in 2020.

Oseguera will return for his fourth season as Richmond’s pitching coach. In 2023, Flying Squirrels pitchers set a franchise record with a .236 opponents’ batting average. In 2022, Richmond’s pitching staff set a team record with 1,367 strikeouts, the fourth-most for a team in Eastern League history at the time. He previously served as the pitching coach for the Low-A San Jose Giants in 2021, helping lead the team to the California League championship. As a player, Oseguera was selected in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Giants out of UCLA and went on to pitch 11 professional seasons. He is a native of La Jolla, Calif.

Elasik will return for his third season as the Flying Squirrels’ hitting coach. In 2023, the Richmond offense set franchise records for runs scored (658), RBIs (604), walks (552) and games scoring 10+ runs (16). He previously served as the hitting coach for Eugene in back-to-back championship seasons in 2021 and 2022. Before joining the Giants organization, Elasik was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for St. Johns River State College in Florida from 2015-2020. He is a native of Starke, Fla.

Nava will continue his third stint on the Richmond coaching staff, his fifth year overall with the team. He was the Flying Squirrels’ hitting coach in 2017 and the team’s fundamentals coach in 2019 before returning in 2023. This year marks Nava’s 18th season with the Giants organization. Prior to returning to Richmond, he managed San Jose in 2022. An infielder in his playing days, Nava’s 17-year professional career included stops in the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs organizations as well as time spent playing in independent leagues, Mexico, Venezuela and Taiwan. Nava is a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Vigue will return to Richmond as the team’s athletic trainer for a second season in 2024, his seventh season with the Giants organization. He spent the previous three years with Eugene. Prior to joining the Giants, Vigue was the head athletic trainer for Florida International University. He also served as an athletic trainer for USA Baseball from 2016-2018. Vigue is a native of Dover, N.H.

In her fourth season with the Giants organization, Kuda will return to Richmond for her second season as the Flying Squirrels’ strength & conditioning coach. She previously held the same role with San Jose after spending 2022 working with one of the Giants’ clubs in the Arizona Complex League. Kuda is a native of Hartford, Conn.

Clubhouse manager Kee Stewart will also return for his second season in Richmond.

The Flying Squirrels open the 2025 season on Friday, April 4 at The Diamond against the Akron RubberDucks, Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Hall of Fame inductee and former Richmond Braves pitcher John Smoltz will be on hand to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Opening Night group packages are on sale now at SquirrelsBaseball.com, by phone at 804-359-3866 or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.