Shuckers Announce 2026 Staff, Highlighted by Return of Mike Guerrero as Manager

BILOXI, MS – The Milwaukee Brewers have announced the complete 2026 coaching staff for the Biloxi Shuckers, highlighted by the return of Mike Guerrero as the team’s manager after two seasons as a Roving Infield Instructor. Guerrero’s staff includes Hitting Coach Kevin Martir (2^nd), Pitching Coach Josh Spence (3^rd), Coach Matt Lipka (2^nd), Associate Coach Tyson Cooper (1^st), Strength and Conditioning Specialist Jim Buckley (1^st), Athletic Trainer Paul Gonzales (1^st), Associate Athletic Trainer Elizabeth Waters (1^st) and Strength and Conditioning Associate Jack Thompson (1^st)

Joe Ayrault, who previously managed the team from 2024-2025, has been promoted to the Brewers Minor League Field Coordinator. Ayrault ends his tenure with a 140-133 record and joins Mike Guerrero as the second Shuckers manager to lead the team to back-to-back playoff appearances, reaching the playoffs in 2024 and 2025.

Guerrero, 58, enters his ninth season in Biloxi and 27th as a manager in Minor League Baseball. After reaching 1,400 career wins during the 2023 season, Guerrero needs 55 wins during the 2026 season to reach 1,500. His 1,445 wins are the sixth-most among active managers in Minor League Baseball. Guerrero owns a 492-449 (.523) record with the Shuckers and is the winningest manager in franchise history. During his tenure with the Shuckers, he has managed 71 of the 82 former Shuckers who have gone on to make their MLB debuts, including Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Jackson Chourio, Josh Hader and Brice Turang. In 2018 and 2019, he helped the Shuckers become the first Brewers Double-A affiliate to reach the championship series in back-to-back years since the 2006 and 2007 Huntsville Stars. He also led the Shuckers to a franchise-record 82 wins in 2018, the most by a Brewers Double-A affiliate since the 1994 El Paso Diablos. Guerrero has also been named the 2018 Southern League Manager of the Year, 2013 Mike Coolbaugh Award winner, 2009 Florida State League Manager of the Year and 2001 Dominican Summer League Manager of the Year. Guerrero appeared in 664 games across nine seasons in the Brewers and Royals organizations during his minor league career and appeared in 18 games with the Wei Chuan Dragons of the Chinese Professional Baseball League during the 1994 season.

Martir, 32, enters his eighth season as a coach in Minor League Baseball, his third in Double-A and his second with Biloxi. In 2025, he oversaw a Shuckers lineup that led the Southern League in runs (639), doubles (197), home runs (111), walks (621), on-base percentage (.337), slugging percentage (.362) and OPS (.699). The lineup also ranked among the franchise single-season leaderboard in stolen bases (2nd, 190), walks (2nd, 621), runs (3rd, 639) and home runs (5th, 111). He previously spent five seasons in the New York Yankees organization, serving as the hitting coach with the Double-A Somerset Patriots (2024), High-A Hudson Valley Renegades (2023) and Single-A Tampa Tarpons (2021-2022). He began his coaching career in 2019 as a development coach for the Rookie-level GCL Phillies East. As a player, Martir appeared in 66 games across three seasons, reaching as high as Short-Season-A in the Houston Astros organization.

Spence, 38, enters his second season as the Shuckers pitching coach and his third on the coaching staff. In 2025, he managed a Shuckers pitching staff that included four Brewers Top-30 prospects, including 2025 Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Tyson Hardin. He previously spent the second half of the 2023 season and all of 2024 with High-A Wisconsin as the team’s pitching coach, helping the Timber Rattlers make their first Midwest League Championship Series appearance since 2012. Before joining the Shuckers in 2023, Spence served as the pitching coach for the Rookie-level ACL Brewers Blue in 2022. He also served on the coaching staff for Team Australia in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and the 2024 Premier12 Tournament. He began his coaching career in 2016 as a rehab pitching coach in the San Diego Padres organization. The native of Australia played professionally for five seasons and made 188 appearances across MLB, MiLB and independent baseball, including 51 MLB appearances across two seasons with the San Diego Padres between 2011 and 2012.

Lipka, 33, enters his second season with the Shuckers after a 12-year playing career that saw the former outfielder appear in 1,137 games in Minor League Baseball. Lipka previously served as an associate coach in 2025, working with outfielders and coaching first base. The former first-round pick in 2010 out of McKinney High School in Texas reached as high as Triple-A in 2017, 2019, 2021-22. He also appeared in 102 games in the Brewers organization with the Nashville Sounds in 2021 and 2022.

Cooper, 24, enters his second season in professional baseball and his first with the Shuckers. Cooper previously served as a Development Coach with the Rookie-level ACL Brewers in 2025. During his playing career, he appeared in 95 games across four collegiate seasons at Penn State and Division II Nova Southeastern. Cooper was also teammates with Shuckers catcher Matthew Wood (’25) during the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Penn State.

Buckley enters his first season with the Shuckers and fourth in the Brewers organization. Buckley previously served as the Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the Carolina Mudcats (2025) and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (2023-24). He served in the same role with the Fort Wayne Tin Caps (2021) and Fayetteville Woodpeckers (2019) in the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros organizations. Buckley is a graduate of Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont, where he was a three-year member of the baseball program. With the Spartans, Buckley appeared in 102 games and helped Castleton to three consecutive North Atlantic Conference championships.

Gonzales enters his first season with the Shuckes and his third in the Brewers organization after spending 2024 and 2025 with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Gonzales enters his eighth season in Minor League Baseball after four seasons with the New York Mets organization and one with the Miami Marlins. He holds a master’s degree in athletic training from Pacific University and a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science from Cal State-Los Angeles.

Waters enters her first season with the Shuckers and her first in professional baseball. Previously, Waters served as an assistant athletic trainer with Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina and an athletic trainer at Prisma Health.

Thompson enters his first season with the Shuckers and his 2nd in professional baseball. Thompson spent 2025 as a Strength and Conditioning Coach intern with the Rookie-level ACL Diamondbacks and as a High Performance Intern with Driveline. He holds a master’s degree in exercise science from South Dakota State University, with an undergraduate degree from Westmont College.

Fans can save up to 50% off day-of-game pricing by securing their 2026 Shuckers Season Ticket Membership today. Season Ticket Memberships, Mini 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 at Keesler Federal Park 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 Keesler Federal Park for Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball games and other entertainment and recreational events.