Lynchburg Announces Field Staff for 2026 Season
Published on February 4, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
The reigning Carolina League Champions in conjunction with the Cleveland Guardians have announced their field staff for the 2026 season.
Returning to Lynchburg this season are newly christened manager Erlin Cerda, hitting coach Amanda Kamekona, and assistant athletic trainer Patrick Reynolds. Joining them will be bench coach Chase Barbary, pitching coach Kevin Erminio, hitting coach Il Hor, strength & conditioning coach Avery Nevin, and athletic trainer Karina Gonzalez.
Erlin Cerda steps in as manager after serving as the bench coach for each of the last two seasons, including the Carolina League Championship season. He replaced Jordan Smith who spent the last three years at the helm.
Cerda, a former Hillcat himself, is a native of the Dominican Republic and was with the Cleveland organization as a player from 2013 until 2018. He stepped into coaching in 2023 as a bench coach with the Guardians Arizona Complex League team.
Filling his former role as bench coach is Chase Barbary. Barbary spent last season, his first season in the Guardians organization, as the development coach for the Columbus Clippers, where he helped players navigate the ever-changing landscape of AAA baseball.
His playing career saw stints as a catcher with the Dodgers and Tigers organizations before he retired in 2022.
Barbary spent his college years between Newberry College and Spartanburg Methodist College.
Making his reunion as the pitching coach in Lynchburg is Kevin Erminio. He's entering his seventh season in the Guardians organization, including a stop in the Hill City for the 2022 season where he helped guide the Hillcats pitching staff to an impressive 4.26 team-ERA with over 1300-strikeouts.
Erminio spent last season with the Akron RubberDucks as their pitching coach. He also spent several seasons with the Lake County Captains, reuniting with most of his 2022 staff. Erminio entered professional baseball after spending time as a pitching coach with the Kennesaw State Owls.
Amanda Kamekona returns to Lynchburg as the teams hitting coach, where she served last season as well. Her time with the organization assisted in bringing the city's first championship since 2017. Under her, Lynchburg saw the offensive development of several top prospects, including Juneiker Caceres, Aaron Walton, and Dean Curley.
City Stadium 3180 Fort Ave. Lynchburg, VA 24501 | P. 434.528.1144 | lynchburg-hillcats.com
A former softball star at UCLA, "AK" was one of the most elite hitters in program history. When she joined the Guardians organization in 2023, she was the first woman to be hired for an on-field coaching position within the organization.
Joining her as hitting coach is Il Hor who is in his second season with the Guardians organization. Hor spent last season with the Arizona Complex League, assisting in the development of some of the young, highly touted prospects in the organization.
Hor spent four seasons playing in the KBO before retiring in 2020. He also spent time as a hitting coach with Azusa Pacific in California, the alma mater of current Guardians manager, Stephen Vogt. In addition, he formerly served as the Director of Hitting at SwingOne Labs in California.
The strength & conditioning coach this season is Avery Nevin. He has been with the Guardians organization since July 2024. Nevin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with stops at Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Fairfield University, and Yale University.
Nevin received his bachelor's in health and exercise science from Rowan University in 2019 and also holds a master's degree in kinesiology and public health from George Washington University.
Serving as the lead athletic trainer this season is Karina Gonzalez, who spent the last two seasons with the RubberDucks. She is in her fourth season with the Guardians organization, spending 2023 in the Arizona Complex League.
Gonzalez earned her Doctorate of Athletic Training from Indiana State University in 2022. She also holds degrees from Thomas Jefferson University and Sonoma State University.
Rounding out the coaching staff this season is the assistant athletic trainer, Patrick Reynolds, who served in the same capacity last season. Reynolds originally spent time in the Guardians organization from 2018-2022 before accepting a role with the University of Maryland.
After graduating from the University of Delaware in 2016 with a degree in athletic training, Reynolds went on to study sports management at East Tennessee State University.
The new coaching staff will spend the next few months at the Guardians Spring Training Complex in Goodyear, Arizona before heading to Lynchburg for the season, which begins on the road, April 2. Tickets for the home opener on April 7 can be purchased online or by calling the team's box office.
Carolina League Stories from February 4, 2026
- Brewers Announce Warbirds Coaching Staff - Wilson Warbirds
- Lynchburg Announces Field Staff for 2026 Season - Lynchburg Hillcats
- RidgeYaks Celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day - Salem RidgeYaks
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