Epperson Returns for Fifth Season as Sea Dogs Manager
Published on January 16, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs, in conjunction with the Boston Red Sox, have announced their coaching staff for the 2026 season. Manager Chad Epperson will lead the Sea Dogs for his fifth year, joined by returning Pitching Coach Juan Rivera and Assistant Pitching Coach Isaiah Paige. Also returning are Defensive Coach Kyle Sasala, Athletic Trainer Bobby Stachura, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jonah Mondloch. Hitting Coach Trevor Burmeister, Assistant Hitting Coach Elijah Boyer, and Athletic Trainer Kelsey Branstetter will join the Sea Dogs for their first season in Portland.
Manager: Chad Epperson
Chad Epperson returns to Portland to manage the Sea Dogs for a fifth consecutive season, further solidifying his place as the most accomplished manager in franchise history. He became the winningest manager in Sea Dogs history, recording his 283rd career victory to surpass Arnie Beyeler's previous franchise record of 282 wins on August 23, 2025.
Epperson brings extensive experience within the Boston Red Sox organization, having spent 12 seasons as the club's Catching Coordinator prior to managing the Sea Dogs. Before that, he served eight seasons as a minor league manager or coach in the Red Sox system. From 2004-09, Epperson managed at the minor league level, leading his teams to four consecutive playoff appearances beginning in 2006, including guiding Single-A Salem in 2009. A back-to-back California League Manager of the Year with Lancaster in 2007 and 2008, he also managed Wilmington to the playoffs in 2006. A Kentucky native, Epperson managed Capital City in 2005 and Augusta in 2004 after spending two seasons (2002-03) as Sarasota's hitting coach, and also managed Cook County of the independent Frontier League in 2001.
Prior to his coaching and managerial career, Epperson played nine seasons in the minor leagues in the Mets (1992-95), Red Sox (1997-99), and Orioles (2000) organizations.
Pitching Coach: Juan Rivera
Juan Rivera also returns to the Sea Dogs coaching staff as a pitching coach for his second season. In 2025, Rivera helped guide a Portland pitching staff that recorded 1,435 strikeouts, the second-most in the Eastern League, while posting a 3.65 team ERA, the fourth-best mark in the league.
Rivera spent the previous three seasons as the Salem Red Sox' pitching coach, where he led the staff to a 3.61 ERA, the fourth-best in Single-A. A graduate of Eastern Nazarene College, Rivera has been part of the Boston Red Sox organization since 2022, serving as a Development Coach with Salem before joining the Sea Dogs coaching staff.
Hitting Coach: Trevor Burmeister
Trevor Burmeister joins the Sea Dogs coaching staff as hitting coach after spending the previous five seasons in the Colorado Rockies organization. A Wisconsin native from Verona, Burmeister began his coaching career immediately following his collegiate playing career at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he spent two seasons on the coaching staff. He then served one season at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where the offense ranked third nationally in NCAA Division II with a .352 team batting average and second in the nation with 102 home runs. Burmeister later returned to his alma mater, Madison College (NJCAA), spending three seasons under head coach Mike Davenport. During his time there, he was named the 2019 NJCAA Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America. During the offseason, Burmeister resides in Black Earth, Wisconsin.
Assistant Pitching Coach: Isaiah Paige
Isaiah Paige returns to the staff after joining the Sea Dogs in 2025. Prior to his time in Portland, he was the Director of Pitching Development for the University of Missouri since August of 2024. Paige arrived in Columbia, Missouri, after completing his first season as a collegiate coach at Butler University in 2024. With the Bulldogs, he served as an assistant pitching coach, working closely with the pitching staff and catchers while also coordinating the program's technical and analytical resources.
Prior to Butler, Paige spent two seasons in the Baltimore Orioles organization as a minor league coach. In 2022, he worked as a fundamentals coach with Class High-A Aberdeen, overseeing outfielders and baserunners while helping guide the IronBirds to a South Atlantic League-best 78 wins. He followed that with a role as a pitching development coach at the Orioles' Florida Complex in 2023. A 2021 graduate of the University of Michigan, Paige pitched three seasons for the Wolverines and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors as a senior. The right-hander compiled a 3.10 ERA across 46 career appearances and made a start in the 2019 NCAA Men's College World Series Championship Series against Vanderbilt.
Assistant Hitting Coach: Elijah Boyer
Elijah Boyer joins the Red Sox organization as the Assistant Hitting Coach for Portland. He previously served as a Lead Hitting Trainer at Driveline Baseball in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he used biomechanics, bat tracking, force plate data, and batted-ball analytics to help hitters improve performance through clear, athlete-focused instruction. Boyer was an Assistant Baseball Coach at Lansing Community College during the 2023-24 season, helping lead the Starz to a top-five offense nationally in NJCAA Division II. He designed and implemented daily practice plans and conducted comprehensive hitter assessments using advanced technologies such as K-Vest, Blast Motion, and HitTrax.
Defensive Coach: Kyle Sasala
Kyle Sasala enters his third season on the Portland staff after a highly successful tenure at Grove City College, where he served as Associate Head Coach from 2016 to 2023. During his time with the Wolverines, Sasala played a key role in the program's rise, highlighted by a school-record 30-win season in 2023 and a 16-4 conference mark. He also helped guide Grove City to a then-record 28 victories in 2019 alongside head coach Matt Royer. Sasala later stepped in as interim head coach for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship Tournament, leading the Wolverines to a runner-up finish.
Athletic Trainers: Bobby Stachura and Kelsey Branstetter
Bobby Stachura returns to Portland for his fourth season as the Sea Dogs' Athletic Trainer. He has spent the previous four seasons as the Athletic Trainer for Single-A Greenville and began his career in the Red Sox organization in 2017 with the Lowell Spinners. Prior to joining professional baseball, Stachura served four years as an athletic trainer at the University of Rhode Island. He earned his bachelor's degree in Athletic Training from Lasell College in 2013 and completed his master's degree in Kinesiology at the University of Rhode Island in 2015.
Kelsey Branstetter joins the staff as Portland's second Athletic Trainer, her first year with the Sea Dogs and second season in the Red Sox organization. She spent last season as the Athletic Trainer for the Greenville Drive (High-A) and served in the same role for Triple-A Louisville (Cincinnati Reds) from 2023-2024. Branstetter graduated from Middle Tennessee State University, where she played four years of soccer. Following her undergraduate studies, Branstetter obtained a master's degree from Wichita State University.
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jonah Mondloch
Strength and Conditioning Coach Jonah Mondloch returns to the staff for his second season in Portland and his third year in the Red Sox organization. He previously served as an Assistant Rehab Strength and Conditioning Coach, where he supported the strength and conditioning programs for players returning to the field. In that role, he collaborated closely with Major League sports performance and on-field staff to ensure the highest level of care for injured athletes.
The Sea Dogs open their 33rd season on Tuesday, April 7th at 4:00 PM against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays). Tickets are now on sale for all 2026 home games and can be purchased online at seadogs.com or by calling the Sea Dogs ticket office at 207-879-9500.
Eastern League Stories from January 16, 2026
- Epperson Returns for Fifth Season as Sea Dogs Manager - Portland Sea Dogs
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