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Coaching Staff

Kevin Gray

Bobcats President and General Manager of Ultimate Sports Academy in Manchester ... Head coach at Derryfield School in Manchester. Previously coached in Bow and Derry school districts ...  Coached six Bobcats teams to New England EBL championships ... Coached undefeated and championship baseball and basketball teams at Bow  ... former MLB beat writer and associate scout with the Seattle Mariners  ... Fifty former Bobcats players in college baseball and three professionals ... Former player in the Granite State Baseball League and 38+ champion ... captain for Plymouth Bobcats in 1989 and graduated from UNH in 1993.

Jeff Hastings

Coach Hastings was honored as the NHIAA Division IV Coach of the Year in 2021 after guiding Derryfield School to a state championship. The Cougars won four state titles under the guidance of Hastings, a former all-conference outfielder at Plymouth State University. He went on to play professionally for the Nashua Pride and also served as a player/coach in the Israel Baseball League ...Help guide 13u Bobcats to a New Balance Select League championship in 2022. Hastings will coach the 15u tournament team in 2024.

Nate Noyes

Returns for a fifth season on the coaching staff ... Will lead the 12u Bobcats team in the Elite Division in 2024 ... A former assistant coach for 13u Bobcats, Noyes took over as 9u head coach in 2020 ... Guided 10u squad to No. 1 seed 2022 and brought team to Youth World Series in Myrtle Beach ... Former Class I Player of the Year and scholarship athlete at Division I Quinnipiac University ... Team captain, All-Conference and All-New England player at Quinnipiac. Rewrote the records books and still ranks among all-time leaders with 38 career home runs and 130 RBIs  ... Northeast Conference Player of the Year, 2000 ... Fast Fact: Noyes is the former Colonel of the New Hampshire State Police.

Colby Howe

Colby joined the staff in 2023 as pitching coordinator and 11u head coach instructor ... All-State player at Bellows Falls Union in Vermont and went on to play at New England College  .... NCAA Division III New England Regional champion under coach Terry Doyle ...  graduated in 2019 ... Previous experience includes Deering High School in Maine and Keene Jr. Swamp Bats ... Colby is a lead instructor for the winter Bobcats throwing program and is available for private lessons.

Marc Pantazis

Coach Pantazis joined the staff in 2019 as a catching coach and private instructor ... Catcher at the University of Maine 1999-2000 ... Played at Rhode Island Community College, participating in the Div. II Junior College World Series ... Assistant coach at Univ. of Maine and Rhode Island College ... Played for the R.I. Reds of the wood-bat New England Collegiate Baseball League ... Previously coached for the NLA Shamrocks in the Elite Baseball League.

 

Josh Bernier

Coach Bernier leads the 14u Elite squad in 2023 ... Coming off a season in which the 13u Bobcats won a program record 33 games in Select League and tournament play ... Core group has won numerous state and regional championships since 2019 ... Bernier has coached youth and travel baseball for the past 15 years ... His team's accomplishments include eight Cal Ripken state titles, two New England AAU Super League championships and Select League state and New England Regional titles ... In 2022, he guided the Bobcats to into the Elite Eight at Cooperstown Dreams Park.

Cheyne Bickel

Head coach of the 17u Bobcats in 2024. First name pronounced "Shane," coach Bickel brings a high level of experience from a vast playing career, leading to the College World Series as a pitcher for the University of Mississippi. He underwent Tommy John surgery and fully understands the importance of arm care and proper throwing technique and preventative care. His experience includes playing in national showcases, a stint with Team USA and workouts with the San Francisco Giants. Coach Bickel grew up in Palm Beach, Fla., and developed as a young pitcher under Brian Kaplan, currently the director of pitching development for the Phillies. He began training with Cressey Performance in 2010. 

Brad Foster

Joined the Bobcats in 2014 and has coached at nearly every age division. Former board member and longtime coach at Manchester Cal Ripken ... Helped lead 15u Bobcats team to New England EBL championship game in 2016 ... Coaches a high school team in the fall league and says one of his favorite memories was winning a championship in 2022. Fast fact: Brad's son, Bryce, is a scholarship track and field athlete at the University of Hartford.

Mike Montembeault

Coach Monty is the first former Bobcats player to return as a head coach for the organization. A former All-State catcher at Trinity High of Manchester, he played one post-graduate season at Bridgton Academy and four years at Keene State College ... Started 43 games and homered against NEC ... Graduated with a degree in Safety Studies and has works for the Auburn Fire Dept ... Has played three times in the CHaD Battle of the Badges, featuring Team Fire vs. Team Police ... As a player, Monty was a key part of the inaugural Bobcats team in 2012 and went on to win a New England EBL 17u championship in 2017 ... Will guide a 12u Bobcats team in 2024. 

Aaron Szafran

A former shortstop and pitcher, coach Aaron will lead the 10u Bobcats in 2024. He has been a longtime friend of the program and brings a wealth of experience ... Graduated Summa Cum Laude from California University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management ... Spent a year working in Baseball Operations at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C. ... worked in Baseball Operations for the Washington Wild Things in Washington Pennsylvania.  He previously coached Little League in Pembroke and 9u Bobcats in 2023. 

Justin Sumner

Coach Sumner spent three seasons with the Bobcats before leaving to accept a job at Ohio University. He remains actively involved with his former players and is a mentor to all. He grew up in Missouri and was a middle infielder at Scott Community College and the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas. He has 15 years of coaching experience with stops at Lawson State Community College, Saint Anselm College and New England College. In 2018, he served as manager of the North Adams SteepleCats in the New England Collegiate Summer League, one of the premier wood-bat collegiate leagues ... Head coach of Manchester Memorial High in 2021.