Three new faces to join Manager of the Year Craig Noto in Rafters dugout

Following a season in which the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters won a Northwoods League record 52 regular season games, general manager John Fanta announced a new group of coaches that will join reigning Manager of the Year Craig Noto in the dugout this summer.

“We are excited to welcome, Joe Haumacher, Sean Cashman and Brink Ambler to the Rafters family,” said Fanta. “All three of these guys have a complimentary array of experiences and will be invaluable assets for the development our players as they embark on the upcoming Northwoods League season.”

Joe Haumacher will begin his first season as the Rafters pitching coach this summer. Haumacher, who is currently the pitching coach at Amherst College, played Division I baseball at Wofford College and Old Dominion University, where he earned his B.A. in Communications in 2011. Following graduation, he played professional baseball in the Pecos League, CanAm League, and Atlantic League.

Haumacher is no stranger to summer collegiate baseball as he was the manager of the Orange County Surf, a collegiate league based in Orange County, California, and he led the Surf to the league championship in the summers of 2015 and 2017. He also spent a season as the pitching coach at Raritan Valley Community College, in New Jersey. In addition to his aforementioned coaching experiences, Haumacher worked four years with world-renowned pitching guru Tom House and the National Pitching Association at the University of Southern California. As a Rotational Athlete Specialist, Haumacher worked with professional baseball players including Jaime Garcia, Jason Hammel and Ryan Sherriff, guiding them through shoulder rehabilitations, training regimens and delivery adjustments.

Sean Cashman will begin his first season as an assistant and third base coach. His prior experience as both a pitching coach and head coach at the Division I level will be valuable to aiding in oversight of all areas for the Rafters. Cashman, who now runs a personal business, was the Division I baseball coach at Saint Peter’s University during the 2013 season. Prior to being named head coach, Cashman served as an assistant for the Peacocks and held the top spot on staff as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. As pitching coach, Cashman helped mold a pitching staff in 2012 which finished the year with the best overall earned run average since 1982 and also broke school records in walks per nine innings, saves in a season, and most shutouts. Prior to Saint Peter’s, Cashman spent two seasons on the coaching staff at Temple University and one season at Ocean County College. At Temple, he assisted with all aspects of the program, with a focus on the development of the pitching staff while also working with the outfielders. At Orange County College he served as the team’s pitching coach.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experiences, Cashman has experience with summer ball, acting as the head coach and general manager of the Toms River Black Sox of the Atlantic Baseball Collegiate League, while also serving as the pitching coach in the Perfect Game Collegiate League for two seasons. After Cashman’s playing days as a pitcher for Saint Peter’s, he worked as a scout before beginning his coaching career. He currently resides in Chandler, Arizona.

Brink Ambler will join the Rafters as an assistant and first base coach in 2018. Ambler is currently in his second season as an assistant coach for the Otterbein University baseball program, specializing in hitting, outfield, and also coaching first base. Prior to joining the coaching staff at Otterbein, Ambler spent two seasons playing at the University of Alabama, where he also graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. On top of his collegiate play, Ambler has competed within the Collegiate Baseball League of Europe, the Coastal Plains Summer League and the Sunbelt Collegiate Summer League. A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, he was a four-year varsity letterman at Jamestown High School and played for Bobby Valentine’s All-American team from 2010-2011.

In addition to his baseball coaching duties, Ambler currently works as a professional tutor at The Ohio State University in the Student Athlete Support Services Office, mentoring students in Economics, Computer Science, and other general business courses. He also works as a professional instructor at Bo Jackson Sports Elite in Columbus, assisting with baseball programming and providing individual lessons. In addition, he has helped evaluate talent throughout the Midwest for Prep Baseball Report Ohio. Ambler resides in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Reagan.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.wisconsinrapidsrafters.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.