Travelers 2026 Field Staff Announced

The Arkansas Travelers and their MLB parent club, the Seattle Mariners, are proud to reveal the Travelers coaching staff for the 2026 season, led by new Manager Rich Thompson. Thompson comes to the Travs after serving as the Head Baseball Coach and Athletic Director at National Park College in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Everyone joining Thompson on the Arkansas staff has previously been with the club, including José Umbria (Bench Coach), Cameron Ming (Pitching Coach) and Jordan Cowan (Hitting Coach). Also returning to Arkansas are athletic trainer Dan LaBerry and strength coach Kyle Briggs.

Rich Thompson enters his first season as the Travs manager, his first coaching position in professional baseball. Since 2020 he has been with National Park College, an NJCAA Division 2 program, first as Head Baseball Coach and then also becoming Athletic Director in 2022. The native of Sydney, Australia, had a professional playing career spanning a decade from 2002-2012 including parts of six seasons in the big leagues. Thompson played for the Australian National Team for 12 years, including two World Baseball Classics, two International Baseball World Cups and earned a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. He worked a total of 82 games in relief for the Angels and Athletics from his MLB debut in 2007 through 2012 including a career best 44 appearances with the L.A. Angels in 2011. On his way to the big leagues, Thompson made 63 appearances on the mound for the Travelers in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He also pitched in the 2007 MLB All-Star Futures Game. He is the second straight former Travs player to manage the club and resides in Hot Springs with his family.

“I’m excited to be back with the Travelers,” said Thompson. “I wouldn’t be an Arkansan without the Travs and I’m looking forward to making the jump back into professional baseball. It is great to give back to the game and these players. I am thrilled to be part of the future of the Travs and the Mariners.”

José Umbria returns to the Travelers coaching staff for a fourth consecutive season, his third with the title of Bench Coach. He was on the staff for the Travelers 2024 Texas League Championship. Umbria will be in his 16th season as a coach in the Mariners system. He was honored by the Mariners as the Dave Henderson Minor League Staff Member of the Year in 2018. Since joining Seattle in 2010, he has coached at six different minor league affiliates. Umbria played as a catcher in the Blue Jays system from 1996-2005, reaching as high as Triple-A before concluding his playing career with two seasons in independent ball. He is a native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Cameron Ming enters his second season as Pitching Coach for Arkansas. He spent the previous two years as the pitching coach at High-A Everett. Ming pitched three years in the minor leagues in the Orioles organization from 2017-19. He played in college at the University of Arizona including a trip to the College World Series before being drafted by Baltimore in the 14th round in 2017.

Jordan Cowan (COW-in) joins the Travs staff as hitting coach. 2026 marks his third season as a full-time coach in the Mariners system. He was the hitting coach for Everett last season and with Class-A Modesto in 2024. In 2023, Cowan was the Travelers first base coach while serving in a player-coach capacity. A former infielder, he played 9 seasons in the Minors including 207 games with Arkansas in 2019 and 2021. He was drafted by the Mariners in the 37th round of the 2013 draft out of Kentlake High School in Kent, WA.

Rounding out the Arkansas staff are Athletic Trainer Dan LaBerry and Strength Coach Kyle Briggs, both of whom return for a second straight season. LaBerry enters his 6th season in the Mariners organization. He had previously been on the training staff with Triple-A Tacoma in 2024 and was the Athletic Trainer for Everett in 2023, where he was named Northwest League Athletic Trainer of the Year. 2026 will mark Briggs’ third year with Seattle. He spent 2024 as the Strength Coach at Class-A Modesto.

Founded in 1901, the Arkansas Travelers are the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and call CHI St. Vincent Field at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock home. The club will celebrate 125 Years of Travs Baseball in 2026, with the home opener set for Tuesday, April 7. For all the latest information with the club and events at the ballpark, log on to travs.com or follow the Travelers on Facebook (/ArkansasTravelers), Instagram (@artravs), Threads (@artravs) and Twitter/X (@artravs). Dickey-Stephens Park is a cashless facility, and the Travelers have a clear bag policy for all events.