{"id":17558,"date":"2026-11-10T12:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T18:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/?p=17558"},"modified":"2026-11-10T12:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T18:15:01","slug":"moondogs-announce-2027-coaching-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/2026\/11\/10\/moondogs-announce-2027-coaching-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"MoonDogs Announce 2027 Coaching Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"

MANKATO, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs are excited to announce their coaching staff for the upcoming 2027 season, led by returning field manager Danny Kneeland, alongside hitting coach Drew Mize and pitching coach Shea Walker. With a combination of Northwoods League experience, collegiate playing backgrounds, and proven coaching success, the trio brings a strong foundation of player development and competitive experience to Mankato.<\/span><\/p>\n

Says Kneeland, \u201cI am extremely excited to be back with the MoonDogs for the 2027 season. I can\u2019t thank our ownership, front office, and fans enough for all the support they have given us. Mankato is a special place, and we will work to continue offering one of the best experiences summer collegiate baseball has to offer for our players and fans. Can\u2019t wait to see everyone back at ISG field next summer. Go Dogs!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With Kneeland leading the way, second year Assistant Walker, and first year Assistant Mize both add a diverse and exciting skillset to this 2027 MoonDogs team. Read more about your upcoming coaching staff below:<\/p>\n

Danny Kneeland – Field Manager<\/b><\/p>\n

Danny Kneeland returns to the Mankato MoonDogs as field manager, entering his sixth season with the organization. During his tenure, Kneeland has compiled a 173-138 record, leading the MoonDogs to the 2025 Great Plains West Second Half Championship and Great Plains Division Series Championship. In 2026, the MoonDogs finished with the most wins in the Great Plains West Division in the second half. Under his leadership, the organization has produced 16 Northwoods League All-Stars, 35 professional contracts, 16 MLB Draft picks, and one Major Leaguer in Charles McAdoo. The 2022 season also saw Sean Ross earn League MVP honors.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to coaching the MoonDogs, Kneeland has spent four years as associate head coach at Bethany Lutheran College, primarily serving as the team’s hitting coach. He has helped guide the Vikings to a 109-47 record and four consecutive conference championships, with the team ranking among the nation’s top 10 in multiple offensive categories throughout his tenure. In 2026, Bethany Lutheran captured the first NCAA Regional Championship in program history and recorded its first 30-win season. A former Bethany Lutheran player from 2014\u20132017, Kneeland started more than 100 games, splitting time between catcher and second base and served as team captain for two seasons. Originally from Windom, Minnesota, he spent five years teaching middle and high school social studies before entering college coaching and also holds a master\u2019s degree in education. He resides in Eagle Lake, Minnesota, with his wife, Kelsey, and their dog, Apollo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shea Walker – Pitching Coach<\/b><\/p>\n

Shea Walker returns to the Mankato MoonDogs for his second year as pitching coach for the 2027 season. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Walker played two seasons at Dodge City Community College (2022\u20132023), earning All-Conference honors both years while ranking among the program\u2019s all-time leaders in innings pitched and strikeouts. He continued his playing career at UNC Asheville for two seasons (2024\u20132025) before transitioning into coaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walker is currently in his second season as pitching coach at Bethany Lutheran College, where he helped guide the Vikings to regular-season and tournament conference championships, as well as an NCAA Regional title in 2026. Under his guidance, the Vikings developed a top-20 Division III pitching staff in several statistical categories, including ERA, WHIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio, strikeouts per nine innings, and hits allowed per nine innings. In his first season with the MoonDogs in 2026, Walker helped lead the pitching staff to a second-place finish in the league in strikeouts and a tie for first place in the second half of the Great Plains West Division.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Drew Mize – Assistant Coach:<\/b><\/p>\n

Drew Mize joins the Mankato MoonDogs as hitting coach for the 2027 season. A 2024 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), Mize was a three-year starting infielder for the Cougars, primarily playing second base and shortstop while also seeing time in the outfield. He hit .281 during his collegiate career, served as team captain during his senior season, and finished among the top 15 in program history in games started.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mize began his coaching career with the O\u2019Fallon Hoots of the Prospect League in 2026, serving as assistant hitting coach and infield coach. In that role, he worked with hitters on offensive development, approach, and daily preparation while leading pregame infield routines and assisting with batting practice. Originally from O\u2019Fallon, Missouri, Mize graduated from SIUE with a bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The MoonDogs\u2019 2027 schedule will be released later this year, as the team looks to build on a strong finish to the 2026 season. After winning 20 of their final 25 games and finishing tied for first in the second half of the Great Plains West Division, the MoonDogs will look to carry that momentum into 2027 and make another push toward a Northwoods League championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

###<\/em><\/p>\n

The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its\u2019 33rd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 435 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019\/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANKATO, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs are excited to announce their coaching staff for the upcoming 2027 season, led by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":17561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1,41,70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-archives","category-team-news","category-update-ticker-all-categories"],"yoast_head":"\nMoonDogs Announce 2027 Coaching Staff - Mankato MoonDogs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Mankato MoonDogs are excited to announce their coaching staff for the upcoming 2027 season, led by returning field manager Danny Kneeland, alongside hitting coach Drew Mize and pitching coach Shea Walker.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/2026\/11\/10\/moondogs-announce-2027-coaching-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MoonDogs Announce 2027 Coaching Staff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Mankato MoonDogs are excited to announce their coaching staff for the upcoming 2027 season, led by returning field manager Danny Kneeland, alongside hitting coach Drew Mize and pitching coach Shea Walker.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/2026\/11\/10\/moondogs-announce-2027-coaching-staff\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mankato MoonDogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-10T18:15:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.northwoodsleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/11\/Danny-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1366\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin-mankato\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin-mankato\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/2026\/11\/10\/moondogs-announce-2027-coaching-staff\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/2026\/11\/10\/moondogs-announce-2027-coaching-staff\/\",\"name\":\"MoonDogs Announce 2027 Coaching Staff - 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