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Henning will be back at the helm for his second season as Field Manager for the Stingers, his third season with the team overall after spending the 2017 season as an Assistant Coach.
“I love coaching in Willmar because of the loyal and knowledgeable fans that support our team and organization,” Henning said. “The entire staff of the Stingers, from our owners to the gameday staff, have worked hard to make the experience for everyone the best in the Northwoods League,” he added.
On the field, under the leadership of Henning, Leyva and Caselli, the Stingers set franchise records for both regular season wins (48) and overall home record (29-6). After posting a 26-11 second-half record, the team clinched a second-half division championship and in doing so a fifth straight Northwoods League playoff berth.
Henning is currently in his fourth year as an assistant coach for the Sacramento City College Panthers, in Sacramento, CA. After pitching for the Panthers in 2011 and 2012, Henning returned as a coach in 2016, where he has helped lead the team to finish with a Top-25 national ranking each of the past two years.
As an aside to coaching, Henning is also the co-owner of the Sacramento Sports Center, a baseball training facility with 18-teams of kids utilizing the center. The Sacramento Sports Center is a family run business with both Henning’s brother Drew and father Rich involved in the operation of the facility.
Leyva will be back in the dugout of Bill Taunton Stadium as one of the assistant coaches for the second consecutive season. A familiar sight out in the third base coaches box, Leyva is now an assistant coach at Pasadena City College. Most recently, Leyva was assistant coach with Sacramento City College during the 2017-2018 seasons.
Leyva has a wealth of experience in summer collegiate baseball after serving as both as an assistant and head coach in the New England Summer Collegiate League for 10 seasons. In the summer of 2007, Leyva made his professional coaching debut with the Chicago White Sox rookie ball team in Bristol, Tennessee. Leyva served as an assistant coach to his brother, Nick Leyva, who also spent time as a Major League first base coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates and is currently the Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations.
“I’m excited to be back in Willmar again next summer with Bo [Henning] and Matt [Caselli],” Leyva said. “The fans are second to none at the Bee Hive.”
Caselli spent last two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of La Verne in La Verne, CA prior to joining the Stingers coaching staff. Before he was a coach at La Verne, Caselli played for the Leopards during the 2015 season. Caselli transferred to the ULV program after playing at Sacramento City College from 2012-2014.
“Bo, Al and Matt have all been a great fit for our team and organization,” Stingers co-owner Ryan Voz said. “These guys had an outstanding rapport with the team and were able to help make them all better players this past season.”
If you would like more information on tickets for the 2019 season, or more information regarding this press release, please contact the Willmar Stingers front office at 320-222-2010 or visit www.willmarstingers.com.
The 2019 season of Stingers Baseball is presented by Marcus Construction. “From start to finish we’ll make your job easier and build a facility you will be proud of.”