Woodpeckers Announce 2026 Coaching Staff

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina --The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, in conjunction with the Houston Astros, announced today the on-field coaching staff for the 2026 season, led by returning Manager Carlos Lugo.

The full coaching staff for the 2026 Woodpeckers features:

• Manager: Carlos Lugo (2nd season with Woodpeckers)
• Pitching Coach: James Wiseman (2nd season with Woodpeckers)
• Hitting Coach: Steve Serratore (1st season with Woodpeckers)
• Development Coach: Tanner Montgomery (1st season with Woodpeckers)
• Trainer: Daniel Gonzalez (2nd season with Woodpeckers)
• Strength Coach: Aidan Meyers (1st season with Woodpeckers)

The fifth manager in Woodpeckers history, Lugo guided the team to its first winning season since 2019, finishing with the second-best overall record in the Carolina League during 2025 at 69-63. His staff also helped guide 16 Woodpeckers to a promotion to High-A Asheville. The 36-year-old skipper joined the Astros in 2014 as a catching specialist with the Dominican Summer League Astros and went on to manage the club from 2016-2020. In 2021, Lugo managed alongside former Fayetteville skipper Ricky Rivera in the Florida Complex League, and remained in West Palm Beach, Florida over four summers helping develop some of the Astros youngest professional players and international signings.

Pitching Coach James Wiseman begins his third season in the Astros organization and second with Fayetteville after overseeing one of the league’s top pitching staffs a summer ago. Under Wiseman’s coaching, Woodpeckers’ arms led the league in ERA (3.66), opponent batting average (.216) and ranked third in strikeouts (1,202). He is an Orland, California native and pitched collegiately at Butte College and Salem University.

Hitting Coach Steve Serratore joins the Woodpeckers as a new member of the Astros organization. Serratore is a Minnesota native that played college baseball at Kansas State and coached collegiately at the Air Force Academy and Bowling Green State before his transition to professional baseball.

Tanner Montgomery rounds out the on-field staff in his first year as development coach. Montgomery is also a newcomer to the Astros organization after serving as an assistant coach at Radford University. He also worked as the Director of Baseball Operations at James Madison University for the 2024 season. As a player, Montgomery spent three seasons at Bridgewater College as a catcher, and also played at Youngstown State from 2017-2019.

Daniel Gonzalez returns for a second season in Fayetteville as the head athletic trainer. He joined the Astros in 2024 and has prior athletic training experience with the United States Tennis Association, College of Charleston, Middle Tennessee State and at the Marlins Dominican Academy.

Strength Coach Aidan Meyers joins the staff for his first season in Fayetteville after serving as an assistant strength coach with the Florida Complex League Astros in 2025. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from Coastal Carolina University and Master’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina Upstate.

The Woodpeckers open their seventh season in Fayetteville on Friday April 3rd, hosting the Wilson Warbirds at Segra Stadium for a 7:05 PM first pitch. The Woodpeckers will again play a 132-game schedule with 66 games in downtown Fayetteville. Full, half, and 20 game Season Tickets are now available. Season Tickets are the best way to secure your seat for the 2026 campaign. For more information about season tickets or group outings at Segra Stadium, please call our front office at 910-339-1989 or visit us online at fayettevillewoodpeckers.com.