The Augusta GreenJackets, in conjunction with the Atlanta Braves, announced the coaching staff for the upcoming 2026 season.
Brad Stoll has officially been named manager of the GreenJackets, his second season with the team and first at the helm. He’s joined by a pair of returners from last year’s staff in pitching coach Elvin Nina and athletic trainer Dan Gaertner, as well as a handful of newcomers in hitting coach Adam Wood, coaches Rob Leary and Jefferson Romero, and strength coach Noah Polesky.
Stoll takes the lead for his first managerial gig at the pro levels, following one season spent as the first base coach for the GreenJackets. He joined the Braves’ system following nearly 20 years coaching at Lawrence High School in Kansas. During his time with the Chesty Lions, Stoll won a 6A State Championship in 2009 and saw two former players go on to play in Major League Baseball: Garrett Cleavinger and Bryce Montes de Oca.
Stoll’s additional experience lies in the Cape Cod League, where he was an assistant with the Falmouth Commodores from 2009-15 and again in 2024. Stoll replaces Wynston Sawyer, who has been promoted to High-A Rome, where he will manage the Emperors after two seasons in the same role in Augusta.
A mainstay at SRP Park, Nina returns to the GreenJackets to guide the pitching staff for the third straight year. Nina was previously with the FCL Braves, and has been with the Atlanta organization since 2018. A native of San Cristobal, Nina played collegiately at both Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Oklahoma State before being drafted in the 17th round of the 1997
Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Nina played nine seasons in the minors across 5 organizations, while also seeing time in the Chinese Professional League, the Mexican League, and the Atlantic League. The righty began his coaching career with six years in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system, and also coached with the Pirates’ organization for three seasons.
Wood comes to Augusta for his first year working with the GreenJackets, and his fourth year overall with the Braves. Wood spent last year as the hitting coach for the FCL Braves, and began his time in the organization with two seasons with the DSL Braves. Prior to entering the pro ranks, Wood spent nearly a decade as an independent hitting coach in California.
Jefferson Romero is in his first year with the GreenJackets, but is certainly no stranger to the Braves’ organization as a whole. Romero joined the Braves as an International Area Scout in 2007 and has been with the team since. Romero added coaching duties in the DSL in 2011, and switched to coaching full-time in 2015, working with catchers and coaching third base.
He was named manager of the DSL Braves in 2017, and spent three years in the role before coming stateside in 2020. Romero has worked as a catching coach and first base coach at various levels of late, including with the Mississippi Braves in 2023, Rome Emperors in 2024, and FCL Braves in 2025, adding Assistant Manager to his duties last summer.
An industry veteran in his first year with the Braves, Leary brings with him over three decades of coaching and player development experience at both the Major and Minor League levels. Leary has spent the last nine years as an Advance & Pro Scout with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and was previously the big-league Bench Coach with the Miami Marlins from 2013-2015.
He has also spent time in the Guardians and Red Sox organizations, primarily in Minor League Development and as a Catching Coordinator. Leary spent five seasons as a player in the Montreal Expos system, before jumping straight into coaching as the Manager of the Rockford Expos and West Palm Beach Expos, composing a record of 254-236 over four years.
Gaertner will serve as the team’s Athletic Trainer for 2025, marking his second year in Augusta and fifth with the Braves after one summer in the FCL and two with the Gwinnett Stripers. Polesky enters his first season in professional baseball, having previously served as the Director of Human Performance with the Fieldhouse Pirates Baseball Club in Burlington, Ontario following completion of a Master’s program at Brock University.
The GreenJackets open up the 2026 season on the road, traveling to Fredericksburg to face the Nationals for the first time since 2023. Augusta’s home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14th, with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers coming to SRP Park for a 7:05 first pitch. The ‘Jackets will face 10 of the 11 other teams in the Carolina League over the course of the year’s 132-game slate, including 66 home dates at SRP Park. Single-game tickets and the promotional schedule are set to be announced soon, with information to follow at greenjacketsbaseball.com.
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