AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Officials with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced on Friday the full on-field staff for the 2023 season.

According to a Sod Poodles news release, officials said that Shawn Roof will return for his third season as the manager of the Sod Poodles.

Officials said Roof enters his seventh season as a manager in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, and his eighth overall as a coach in the system.

“It’s an honor to be named the Sod Poodles manager for another year,” Roof said in the release. “The past two summers have been an amazing experience for me and my family, and I am very excited to spend another summer in Amarillo. We have a tremendous staff with a wealth of experience, knowledge, energy, and passion for the game, and I can’t wait to work with them. This group will help prepare the next great D-backs of the future. Amarillo is a very welcoming community, and our players are extremely lucky to not only play in one of the best ballparks in the minor leagues but to also get to play in front of the best fans. The community will love the team that will be here this summer and I know we will work extremely hard to make the fans proud. 2023 is going to be a great year and I can’t wait to put on the Sod Poodles jersey again. Go Soddies.”

Officials report that the following coaches are also joining the Sod Poodles:

  • Tom Gorzelanny, pitching coach, begins his second season as a pitching coach in the D-backs organization and first at the Double-A level.
  • Terrmel Sledge, hitting coach, will spend his first year coaching in the D-backs organization in 2023 as the Sod Poodles’ hitting coach.
  • Javier Colina, assistant coach, returns for his second stint in Amarillo and his 10th year as a coach in the D-backs organization.
  • Chris Mudd, the athletic trainer, begins his second season with the Diamondbacks after serving as the athletic trainer for the ACL D-backs in 2022.
  • Mitchell Ho, strength and conditioning coach, enters his second season as a minor league strength coach for the D-backs.

Official added that this coaching staff has more than 26 years of combined coaching experience and more than 40 years of playing experience at either the minor or Major League level.

According to the news release, the Sod Poodles are set to open their 2023 season away against the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, on April 6 before returning to Amarillo for the team’s home opener. The Sod Poodles are scheduled to open their season with the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, on April 11.

For more information regarding the 2023 Sod Poodles season, visit here.