​​Manager Brian Meyer Returns to Lead Kernels 2026 Coaching Staff

Cedar Rapids, IA - In conjunction with the Minnesota Twins, the Cedar Rapids Kernels announce the 2026 coaching staff. Manager Brian Meyer returns to Cedar Rapids after a trip to the Midwest League Championship series in 2025. Along with Meyer, Pitching Coach Hunter Townsend, Hitting and Development Coach Yeison Perez, Strength & Conditioning Coach Morgan Buckley and Assistant Athletic Trainer Morgan Leichtenberger all return to the staff for 2026. Pitching Coach Erick Julio, Hitting Coach Danny Marcuzzo and Lead Athletic Trainer Katie Lortie all join the Kernels for their first seasons in Cedar Rapids.

Manager Brian Meyer (2nd Season) - After a 72-60 record, a Midwest League West Division first-half title and a trip to the Midwest League Championship, Manager Brian Meyer returns to Cedar Rapids for his second season with the Kernels in 2026. Prior to joining the Kernels staff, Meyer spent the previous four seasons as the manager of single-A Fort Myers. In his four seasons with the Mighty Mussels, Meyer posted an overall record of 262-236 (.526), finishing over .500 every year while leading Fort Myers to an FSL West Division title and a playoff berth in 2022, a season in which he was named Florida State League Manager of the Year. A native of North Royalton, Ohio, Meyer played second base for three seasons at Otterbein College before beginning his coaching career as the school’s hitting coach in 2007. After three years with the Cardinals, Meyer made the jump to Division 1 as an assistant coach at Wright State for two seasons, followed by a five-year stint as the Director of Baseball Operations at Tulane and three seasons as an assistant coach at Butler. In 2020, Meyer joined the Twins organization as the hitting coach for the Mighty Mussels before the cancellation of the season, and in 2021, he was named manager.

Pitching Coach Hunter Townsend (2nd Season) - Pitching Coach Hunter Townsend returns to Cedar Rapids for his second season with the Kernels in 2026. In 2025, Townsend oversaw a Kernels staff that won 72 games. 2025 was Townsend’s first season in Cedar Rapids and first in professional baseball. Originally from Houston, Texas, Townsend joined the Twins organization after spending the previous three years as a pitching performance coach at Tread Athletics. As a player, Townsend pitched four seasons at the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia, before playing his graduate season at East Tennessee State in 2021.

Pitching Coach Erick Julio (1st Season) - Pitching Coach Erick Julio joins the Kernels staff for the first season in Cedar Rapids and fifth in the Twins Organization. Julio spent the 2025 season as a pitching coach for the Florida Complex League Twins, returning to the FSL, where he began his coaching career with the Twins in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, Julio was a pitching coach for the Dominican Summer League Twins. 2026 will be his first season at a full-season affiliate. Born in Cartagena, Colombia, Julio pitched six seasons of professional baseball, including five in the Rockies organization, making it to high-A Lancaster in 2019. Following the 2019 season, Julio was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels and finished his playing career with high-A Tri-City in 2021. Julio also brings international experience to Cedar Rapids, having pitched for Team Colombia during the 2021 Olympic Qualifiers.

Hitting Coach Danny Marcuzzo (1st Season) - Hitting Danny Marcuzzo joins the Cedar Rapids staff for his first season with the Kernels and second in the Twins organization. A longtime college coach, Marcuzzo joined the professional ranks last season as the Hitting and Development Coach for AAA St. Paul. Prior to joining the Twins, Marcuzzo spent the 2024 season on staff at the University of Akron following four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska. Marcuzzo began his 12-year college coaching career at his alma mater, Coffeyville Community College, in 2013. He joined the staff at Butler Community College in 2015, then spent two seasons at DII Central Oklahoma before returning to Coffeyville for the 2019 season. He finished his time as a player at Coffeyville as the owner of five different offensive records and wrapped up his player career at Western Illinois. Last fall, Marcuzzo coached Twins prospects in the Arizona Fall League with the Peoria Javelinas.

Hitting and Development Coach Yeison Perez (2nd Season) - Hitting and Development Coach Yeison Perez returns to Cedar Rapids for his second season with the Kernels and seventh in the Twins organization. Perez comes back to Cedar Rapids after serving on the coaching staff that won the 2023 Midwest League Championship. He has spent the last two seasons in the same position with AA Wichita. After his playing career wrapped up, Perez joined the Twins coaching staff as a hitting coach for the Dominican Summer League Twins before the season was cancelled in 2020. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons on the offensive staff of the Florida Complex League Twins. Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Perez was signed by the Seattle Mariners at age 18. He spent two seasons in the Mariners system, playing across 49 games in the Dominican Summer League. Following his release from Seattle, Perez signed a minor league contract with the Twins, where he spent three seasons, reaching the Florida Gulf Coast League Twins in 2018.

Strength & Conditioning Coach Morgan Buckley (2nd Season) - Strength and Conditioning Coach Morgan Buckley returns for his second season in Cedar Rapids in 2026. Prior to joining the Kernels for his first season in the Twins organization in 2025, Buckley served as a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Assistant in the Brewers organization. Buckley earned his master's degree in exercise science from Auburn University after graduating from the University of Tennessee.

Lead Athletic Trainer Katie Lortie (1st Season) - Lead Athletic Trainer Katie Lortie joins the Kernels for her first season in Cedar Rapids and fifth in the Twins organization. Lortie spent the 2025 season on staff with AAA St. Paul, her first season in AAA after spending the previous two seasons with AA Wichita. Lortie joined the Twins organization before the 2022 campaign and spent it with the Florida Complex League Twins. Lortie graduated from San Diego State University and earned a master's degree from Barry University. She broke into professional baseball in 2021 as the athletic trainer for the Florida Complex League Astros Blue.

Assistant Athletic Trainer Morgan Leichtenberger (2nd Season) - Assistant Athletic Trainer Morgan Leichtenberger returns to the Kernels for her second season in Cedar Rapids and her fourth in the Twins organization. After joining the Twins, Leichtenberger served as an assistant athletic trainer for the FCL Twins in her first season in 2023 and held that same role with single-A Fort Myers in 2024. Leichtenberger earned a degree in athletic training from Penn State University in 2020 and a master's from A.T. Still University in 2022. She began in professional baseball as an Athletic Training intern with the Diamondbacks in 2019 and also served as an Athletic Training Associate with the Dodgers in 2022.

Kernels' Opening Night 2026 is Friday, April 3rd, at 6:05 PM vs. Peoria. Single-game tickets go on sale soon. Season tickets, coupon books, and group outing bookings are available now. Visit Kernels.com or call 319-363-3887.

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