Iowa Cubs Announce 2026 Field Staff
IL Iowa Cubs

Iowa Cubs Announce 2026 Field Staff

Published on February 18, 2026 under International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


DES MOINES, IA - The Iowa Cubs, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, announced their field staff for the 2026 season. Marty Pevey returns as manager for the I-Cubs for the 14th-consecutive season, extending his franchise-record tenure. Pevey's 822 wins are a franchise record and his 1,466 victories are fifth-most among active minor league managers.

Pevey began his coaching career in the Blue Jays organization (1996-2008) and was Toronto's bullpen coach in 1999, the team's first base coach from 2006-07, and the club's third base coach in 2008. His Cubs career began in 2009 as the manager of Single-A Peoria. Pevey's career accolades include 1998 Atlantic League Manager of the Year honors and 2009 Midwest League Co-Manager of the Year respects.

Joining Pevey's staff for 2026 will be pitching coaches Tony Cougoule and Jamie Vermilyea, hitting coaches Damon Minor and Taylor Fortney, bench coach Nick Lovullo, athletic trainers Logan Severson and Seth Clapp and strength and conditioning coaches Connor Rooney and Christian French.

Cougoule enters his third year as Iowa's pitching coach and his seventh season with the Cubs' organization. He began his time with the Cubs as the pitching coach for Arizona Rookie League Mesa in 2020 before two seasons as South Bend's pitching coach. Cougoule was the pitching coach at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., from 2010-2019, a coach at Southeastern Community College from 2008-09 and Azusa Pacific University from 2006-07. He played collegiate baseball at Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, earning team MVP and all-conference honors in 2003.

Vermilyea is in his ninth season in the Cubs organization and his first with the I-Cubs. He spent the previous five seasons as a pitching coach with Double-A Knoxville, one year with Advanced-A South Bend (2019) and one year with Rookie League Mesa (2018). Vermilyea was selected by Toronto in the ninth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of New Mexico and played nine professional seasons.

Minor enters his first season in the Cubs organization after 10 years in San Francisco's system. He was the hitting coach for Triple-A Sacramento for nine years (2016-2024) and one year as an assistant hitting coach on the Major League staff (2025). Prior to his time in Sacramento, Minor was a hitting coach for Triple-A New Orleans from 2011-2015. He was selected in the 12th round of the 1996 First-Year Player Draft by San Francisco and played 136 Major League games across four seasons.

Fortney enters his third season with the Cubs and second in Iowa following his role as a development coach in 2024. He spent the 2025 season as a hitting coach for Double-A Knoxville. Fortney previously spent six years as the Director of Player Development for the Lubbock Baseball Academy in Lubbock, Texas.

Lovullo is in his fifth season with the Cubs and first with the I-Cubs. He spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons as the manager for Advanced-A South Bend and was the bench coach for Double-A Knoxville in 2022-2023. Lovullo played six professional seasons and is the son of Arizona Diamondbacks manager, Torey.

Severson returns to Iowa's staff for the fifth consecutive season and his 11th season as a trainer in the Cubs' organization. Severson began his professional career as an intern with Iowa in 2012 and was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Western Illinois University from 2013-15. He spent 2016 with Single-A Eugene, 2017 with Single-A South Bend and his next three years with Myrtle Beach. In 2021, Severson was the athletic trainer for Double-A Knoxville. He earned his degree in athletic training from Illinois State University and his masters in Sports Management from Western Illinois University.

Clapp enters his first year in Iowa and sixth with the Cubs. He served as an athletic trainer for Rookie League Arizona in 2021, Advanced-A South Bend in 2022 and spent 2023-2025 with Double-A Knoxville.

Rooney joins Iowa's staff for the second consecutive season after spending 2022 and 2024 as a rehab strength and conditioning staff for the Cubs in Arizona with a stint as a strength and conditioning coach with Double-A Knoxville in 2023.

Iowa opens the 2026 campaign on March 27 with a three-game series vs. Columbus. For more information, visit www.iowacubs.com or call 515-243-6111.

Check out the Iowa Cubs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from February 18, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central