Chicago Cubs Announce 2026 South Bend Cubs Coaching Staff

SOUTH BEND, IN - In conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, the South Bend Cubs have announced the team’s field staff for the 2026 Midwest League season. New South Bend manager Daniel Wasinger will begin his first season as a Minor League manager, after serving as the team’s bench coach last season. Wasinger is joined by returning hitting coach Nate Spears, new pitching coaches Henry Haack and JC Bonilla, and development coach Max Anastasio.

MANAGER - DANIEL WASINGER

Daniel Wasinger enters his first season as manager of the South Bend Cubs, after serving as South Bend’s bench coach in 2025. With South Bend last season, Wasinger also served as the first base coach, and oversaw the team’s catching unit which saw Ariel Armas lead all of baseball (MLB and MiLB) in total baserunners caught stealing. He began his coaching career in 2024, joining the Cubs organization as a Development Coach with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He played two seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks system starting in 2018, which included a stop in the Midwest League with Kane County in 2019. After his time with Arizona, Wasinger continued playing professionally in Independent Baseball and the Mexican Leagues. The former catcher Wasinger was selected by Arizona in the 31st round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies.

COACHING STAFF

Nate Spears begins his third season with the South Bend Cubs as the team’s hitting coach. Spears brings a vast amount of both Major League and Minor League playing experience to the coaching staff, as he began his playing career with the Baltimore Orioles. The ‘O’s’ selected him in the fifth round of the 2003 MLB Draft out of high school. The Fort Myers, Florida native got his first taste of Chicago Cubs baseball when the Orioles traded him to the Northsiders in the Corey Patterson deal in 2006. Spears played for former South Bend manager Buddy Bailey in 2008 with Double-A Tennessee, eventually making it to Triple-A Iowa. His career then took him to the Boston Red Sox, where he made his MLB debut. Spears played for Boston in 2011 and 2012. As a coach, he stayed with the Red Sox and wound up coaching Nick Lovullo when the new South Bend skipper was a Red Sox prospect. Last season, Spears oversaw South Bend’s offense, which was top five in the Midwest League in both home runs and walks.

Also in the hitting department, Spears will be joined by Chris Pieters. A former South Bend Cubs player, Pieters played at Four Winds Field during the 2017 season, where he spent the entire campaign with the Cubs. The lefty posted a .254 batting average in 86 games with four home runs and 31 RBI. Pieters was the hitting coach for the Arizona Complex League Cubs last season.

The South Bend Cubs will have a pair of new pitching coaches in 2026. After George Thanopoulous led the South Bend pitching corps last season, Henry Haack and JC Bonilla will tag team the department this season. Haack played college baseball at Denison University from 2019-2022, where he was a data analytics major. The Evanston, Illinois native put up a 3.34 ERA in 51 total collegiate appearances. Last year, Haack spent the season in the Dominican Republic with the DSL Cubs Academy.

Bonilla, who joins South Bend after serving as the assistant pitching coach with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans last season, pitched in college at both Lackawanna College and Grambling State University. Bonilla spotlighted his best college season in his final year at Grambling, striking out 34 batters in 34 innings.

In support staff roles, Max Anastasio joins the South Bend Cubs as a player development coach. Anastasio is a former college baseball player at both Oberlin and Baldwin-Wallace

Joining South Bend in his first season as strength and conditioning coach is Grant Vera . A former collegiate pitcher, Vera pitched at Kent State and Gardner-Webb during his time on NCAA mounds.

Lastly, Maggie Lowenhar begins her first season as South Bend’s athletic trainer and returns to the team after previously serving as an athletic training intern in 2018.

About the South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs are the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Over the past 39 seasons, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2022, and has captured nine division titles. In 2023, the organization was selected as the Single-A Bob Freitas Award recipient by Baseball America. Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best High-A ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest in 2022 and 2023, having also won the award as a Low-A ballpark in 2017. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the final Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2015 the team was named Ballpark Digest's Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest award in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Ill.