Dennis Pelfrey will return to manage the Richmond Flying Squirrels for a fifth season in 2026, the team announced on Thursday, continuing the longest managerial tenure in franchise history.
Other returning members of the Flying Squirrels coaching staff include pitching coach Paul Oseguera, fundamentals coach Lipso Nava, athletic trainer Tim Vigue and strength & conditioning coach Michelle Kuda. Tommy Everidge will join as hitting coach. The Flying Squirrels’ coaching staff is set by the San Francisco Giants.
Since taking over as Richmond’s manager in 2022, Pelfrey has led the team to 260 wins, more than any manager in franchise history. In his first season, the Flying Squirrels clinched the Southwest Division’s first-half title to reach the postseason for the first time in eight years. In 2023, Richmond closed out a second-half division crown and posted the second-best regular-season record in franchise history. From the last four years’ Flying Squirrels teams, 30 players have gone on to make their MLB debuts, including 25 with the Giants.
“I am so thankful to be assigned back to Richmond for the 2026 season,” Pelfrey said. “To be part of a new chapter in Squirrels history with CarMax Park after having the opportunity to be there for the final game at The Diamond is something that will be engraved in my heart forever.”
Prior to his time in Richmond, Pelfrey led the High-A Eugene Emeralds to the Northwest League championship in 2021.
As a player, Pelfrey spent six seasons playing professionally in the Frontier, Texas-Louisiana and Central Leagues. He began his professional coaching career in 2011 with the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Indiana. He landed his first managerial position with the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League in 2015, leading the team to the postseason in four of his six seasons. Pelfrey joined the Giants organization in 2020.
Oseguera will return for his fifth season as Richmond’s pitching coach. In 2023, Flying Squirrels pitchers set a franchise record with a .236 opponents’ batting average. In 2022, Richmond’s pitching staff set a team record with 1,367 strikeouts, the fourth-most for a team in Eastern League history at the time. He previously served as the pitching coach for the Low-A San Jose Giants in 2021, helping lead the team to the California League championship. As a player, Oseguera was selected in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Giants out of UCLA and went on to pitch 11 professional seasons. He is a native of La Jolla, Calif.
Everidge joins the Flying Squirrels’ staff for his first year with the Giants organization. He spent the last two seasons as the Washington Nationals’ minor league hitting coordinator. Everidge spent the previous 10 years with the Oakland Athletics, serving as a minor league coach from 2014-2021 before two years as their major league hitting coach. As a player, Everidge spent seven seasons in the Athletics, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners systems and made his MLB debut with Oakland in 2009. He is a native of Santa Rosa, Calif.
Nava will continue his third stint on the Richmond coaching staff, his sixth year overall with the team. He was the Flying Squirrels’ hitting coach in 2017 and the team’s fundamentals coach in 2019 before returning in 2023. This year marks Nava’s 19th season with the Giants organization. Prior to returning to Richmond, he managed San Jose in 2022. An infielder in his playing days, Nava’s 17-year professional career included stops in the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs organizations as well as time spent playing in independent leagues, Mexico, Venezuela and Taiwan. Nava is a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Vigue will return to Richmond as the team’s athletic trainer for a third season in 2026, his seventh season with the Giants organization. He spent the previous three years with Eugene. Prior to joining the Giants, Vigue was the head athletic trainer for Florida International University. He also served as an athletic trainer for USA Baseball from 2016-2018. Vigue is a native of Dover, N.H.
In her fifth season with the Giants organization, Kuda will return to Richmond for her third season as the Flying Squirrels’ strength & conditioning coach. She previously held the same role with San Jose after spending 2022 working with one of the Giants’ clubs in the Arizona Complex League. Kuda is a native of Hartford, Conn.
Clubhouse manager Kee Stewart will also return for his third season in Richmond.
Season Memberships for the Flying Squirrels’ 2026 season at CarMax Park are on sale now. Information is available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office at The Diamond.
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