Casper Spuds Baseball Is Looking Great For 2026

The Casper Spuds have been busy this offseason preparing for the summer of 2026, which will be Paul and Kristi Hack's first full season as the team's sole owners. That news came at the end of the 2025 season, and they jumped right into action.

Owning a team like the Spuds adds a few levels of complication. Fundraising is crucial to helping the team thrive in Casper, as it secures sponsors, management, players, host families, and contracts with vendors, among other essential elements. With that being said, the Hacks are in full-on Spuds mode, while still managing their real lives, which consist of careers, family, and the day-to-day aspects of life.

Thankfully, the Hack family is dedicated to keeping the Spuds a top-notch organization, and they've been able to handle the balancing act.

Since the Spuds relocated to Casper a few years ago, the team has achieved great success, which is partly due to their dedication and partly because they've been able to find quality team leaders.

In the summer of 2024, the Spuds welcomed back Head Coach James Batton, who led the team to an outstanding season, winning the triple crown of the Independent League championships. After the season, James stepped down as coach and assumed the role of Director of Personnel, passing the team manager position to his assistant, Will Iannacone, for the 2025 season.

Following this year, Will decided to step down as the head coach and move into a role that would help with recruiting players, thereby continuing to grow the future of the Spuds. That means the Head Coaching baton has been passed on to another great candidate.

The Casper Spuds will welcome new head coach Cody McCray to the team for the 2026 season. Coach McCray is currently the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Gordon State College, as well as an associate scout for the Tampa Bay Rays. He has helped develop over 100 players who have made it into collegiate programs in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC NCAA Division I programs.

Welcome to the team, Coach McCray. We're looking forward to seeing where you lead the Casper Spuds in 2026.