Orioles Announce 2026 Chesapeake Baysox Coaching Staff
EL Chesapeake Baysox

Orioles Announce 2026 Chesapeake Baysox Coaching Staff

Published on February 3, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Chesapeake Baysox News Release


Bowie, MD - The Baltimore Orioles and Chesapeake Baysox have announced the coaching staff for the 2026 season, highlighted by managerRoberto Mercado, who returns to lead the Baysox for his third season.

In Mercado's first two seasons with the Baysox, his staffs have overseen 32 players who were promoted to Triple-A and eight players make their major league debut, including six this past season. Notable Baysox alumni that played under Mercado include Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, and Jeremiah Jackson. Mercado's 121 career wins as Baysox manager are eighth-most in franchise history. He was named the 17th manager in Baysox franchise history in 2024.

"I'm excited to be back with the Baysox and the Orioles organization," said Mercado. "A lot of positive changes are in store for 2026 and we are looking forward to having a great season in Chesapeake."

Mercado has also represented the Orioles organization as a manager in the Arizona Fall League in 2024. He led the Surprise Saguaros to a league-best 18-10 record and a Fall League Championship Game appearance. He also managed the American League squad in the 2024 Fall Stars Game.

Prior to joining the Baysox staff, Mercado spent two seasons as manager of the then-Orioles' High-A affiliate - the Aberdeen IronBirds. There, he led Aberdeen to a 147-120 record, including an appearance in the South Atlantic League championship series in 2022. Mercado was also honored with the Orioles organization's Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award in 2022.

Before the start of his professional career with the IronBirds, Mercado spent 17 years on the coaching staff at New Britain High School in Connecticut. He began as an assistant coach in 2004 before being promoted to head varsity coach in 2011. Mercado helped lead New Britain to its first three conference championships since 1984. In addition to coaching the New Britain baseball team, Mercado served as the Dean of Students for over 18 years. He also spent time as an assistant coach of the Yarmouth Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod Baseball League from 2014-2022 and was a coach in the Goodwill Series, where high school baseball players from the United States competed overseas in both Australia and New Zealand, in 2017 and 2018.

The Baysox welcome three additional returners to their 2026 staff: Josh Bunselmeyer, Ryan Goll, and Calvin Christiansen.

Bunselmeyer is back for his third season as Baysox hitting coach. 2026 will be Bunselmeyer's seventh season in the Orioles' system. He joined the Baysox as hitting coach in 2024, after filling the same role for the Orioles' Single-A affiliate, the Delmarva Shorebirds, in 2023. He spent the previous three campaigns as a hitting coach in both the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League. He played three seasons in the Independent Frontier League following a collegiate playing career at Saint Louis University.

Goll is set to serve as the Chesapeake fundamentals coach in 2026. Goll was a member of the Baysox staff in 2023 as the development coach. Goll has spent five seasons on the Baltimore farm, most recently serving as manager of High-A Aberdeen, in 2025.

Christiansen returns to his role as Chesapeake development coach this season. Christiansen worked on Mercado's staff in 2025. He spent the prior two seasons as a technology coordinator for Single-A Delmarva. Christiansen is a 2019 graduate of the University of California, Davis.

Fresh faces on the Baysox 2026 staff include new pitching coach Jeremy Hileman. Hileman joins Chesapeake for his second season in the Orioles organization. He served as the pitching coach for High-A Aberdeen in 2025 and represented the Orioles as a pitching coach in the Arizona Fall League following his 2025 campaign with the IronBirds. Prior to joining the professional ranks with the Orioles, Hileman spent parts of six years coaching collegiately as an assistant at Saint Joseph's University, Army West Point, Canisius, and Shippensburg University. Hileman also spent four years as the Director of Pitching at FullReps Training Center in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Hileman pitched collegiately at three different institutions, including a season at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Juan Sanchez joins Chesapeake as the strength and conditioning coach in 2026. Sanchez has spent each of the past three seasons as a part of the Orioles' minor league strength and conditioning team. He worked with Aberdeen last season after spending the two previous years with Delmarva. Sanchez previously worked with the Detroit Tigers organization for their Florida Complex League team.

David Bryan rounds out the Baysox staff as Chesapeake's new head athletic trainer this season. Bryan joins the Orioles organization after spending the previous nine seasons in the San Diego Padres system, working for six different affiliates in that time.

Mark Your Calendar

The 2026 Baysox home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 against Erie. A full promotional schedule, including theme nights and giveaways, will be released at a later date.

To view the full 2026 schedule with game times and fireworks dates, click here. Please note that game dates and times are subject to change.

Stay up to date with the latest team news and promotional info by following the Baysox on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Check out the Chesapeake Baysox Statistics

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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.

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