Pevey returns for his 12th season at the helm of the Iowa Cubs, standing as the longest-tenured manager in franchise history. On April 12, 2018, Pevey collected his 1,000th career managerial victory, while also becoming the winningest skipper in Iowa history with his 356th victory at the head of the club.
He holds a 680-737 record with the I-Cubs entering 2024 and 1,324-1,354 overall in 21 seasons as a minor league manager with the eighth-most career wins among active MiLB skippers. In 2019, Pevey led the Iowa Cubs to their first PCL American Northern Division Championship since 2008. The I-Cubs ultimately dropped a five-game series three-games-to-two to the Round Rock express in the PCL Semi-Finals.
Pevey joined the Cubs’ organization in 2009 as the manager for the Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. He led the Chiefs to an 81-57 record and was named the Midwest League’s co-Manager of the Year. He also served as the Cubs’ catching coordinator from 2010-12. This season will mark Pevey’s 42nd in professional baseball, having played for 13 and coached for 28 entering 2024.
Pevey began his managerial career in the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization with Short-A Medicine Hat from 1996-97. He managed Single-A Hagerstown and was named the South Atlantic League’s Manager of the Year in 1998. After serving as Toronto’s bullpen coach in 1999, Pevey returned to the managerial ranks with Advanced-A Dunedin (2000-02), Double-A New Haven (2003), and Triple-A Syracuse (2004-05) before returning to the Blue Jays’ major league staff as the first base coach in 2006 and then third base coach from 2007-08. He was voted as the Florida State League Manager of the Year with Dunedin in 2000 and the Eastern League Manager of the Year with New Haven in 2003.
As a player, Pevey was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 19th round of the 1982 draft out of Georgia Southern University where he was a three-time All-Conference selection. Pevey played 13 seasons, including nine at Triple-A. He made his major league debut with the Montreal Expos on May 16, 1989 and played 13 games in his only big league season.
Pevey resides in Savannah, GA, with his wife, Trini, children Tucker and Ashtin, granddaughter Sage and niece Calista.
Cougoule will join Iowa’s staff for the first time in his fifth season with the Cubs’ organization. He began his time with the Cubs as the pitching coach for Arizona Rookie League Mesa in 2020 before two seasons as South Bend’s pitching coach. Last year, he served as a pitching coordinator for the organization.
Prior to joining the Cubs, Cougoule was the pitching coach at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, from 2010-2019, a coach at Southeastern Community College from 2008-09 and Azusa Pacific University from 2006-07. In addition, Cougoule worked as the pitching coach for the 2016 Santa Barbara Foresters, a summer collegiate baseball team in the California Collegiate League.
He played collegiate baseball at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, IA, earning team MVP and all-conference honors in 2003. He also served as an assistant coach for the Mustangs in 2005.
Cougoule completed his master’s degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2007. He achieved his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Mount Mercy in 2004.
Rick Strickland - Hitting Coach
Strickland also joins Iowa’s staff for the first time in his third year with the Cubs’ organization. Prior to joining the Cubs in 2022, the Chicago, IL, native was a Hitting Consultant for TrainRight Academy for 18 years.
He was also a part-time scout for the New York Mets, an Associate Scout for the Tampa Bay Rays (2007-12), and a Hitting Consultant for the St. Louis Cardinals (2017-18) and Texas Rangers (2019).
Strickland was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 34th round of the 1989 draft out of Austin Peay State University and played four minor league seasons, reaching as high as the Double-A level. Overall Strickland hit .221/.354/.274 while playing most of his games in the outfield.
ERIC PATTERSON - BENCH COACH
Patterson will begin his second season on Iowa’s staff as the team’s bench coach. A former eighth round selection of the Chicago Cubs in 2004, Patterson played in parts of five seasons in the big leagues.
Patterson previously served as the assistant hitting coach for the South Bend Cubs.
Prior to making his major league debut with Chicago, Patterson played for Iowa from 2006-08. In his time in Iowa, he batted .308 with 45 doubles and 22 home runs. Patterson appeared in 197 games totalling 105 RBI and 43 stolen bases.
In his major league career, Patterson collected 110 hits, 20 doubles and 10 home runs. During his five seasons in the big leagues, he played for Chicago, Oakland, Boston and San Diego.
Ed Halbur - Athletic Trainer
Halbur enters his 21st season with the Cubs organization and his sixth season of his second stint with Iowa. He previously worked for the I-Cubs from 2003-04 before serving as an assistant athletic trainer for Chicago from 2005-17. Prior to joining the Cubs, Halbur worked for the Tigers’ organization from 1999- 2002, serving both Single-A Oneonta and Double-A Erie. Before he broke into affiliated baseball, Halbur worked in the same capacity for Escogido Leones in the Dominican Winter League.
In 2008, Halbur joined the Cubs Director of Athletic Training, Mark O’Neal, in earning the 2008 Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year award at the annual Winter Meetings.
Halbur graduated from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas with a B.S. in Athletic Training, before earning an M.S. from the University of Nebraska Omaha in Physical Education and Coaching. He worked as a graduate assistant at Creighton University, serving as an athletic trainer for football, baseball and soccer while in college. He also worked as an athletic trainer for the College World Series.
Halbur and his wife, Sara, reside in Ankeny, IA, with their two children, Addison and Gabriel.
LOGAN SEVERSON - Athletic Trainer
In his eighth season as a trainer in the Cubs’ organization, Severson joins Iowa’s staff for the second year. A native of Morris, Ill., Severson began his professional career as an intern with Iowa in 2012 and was a graduate assistant athletic trainer while earning his master’s degree at Western Illinois University from 2013-15.
He spent the 2015 campaign as a trainer with Short-Season Class-A Eugene, and served the same role during the 2016-17 seasons with Low-A South Bend. For each of the next three seasons, Severson was the trainer for Myrtle Beach, before making the jump to Double-A Tennessee.
He earned his degree in athletic training from Illinois State University and his masters in Sports Management from Western Illinois University.
Severson resides in Chicago, IL, with his wife, Chelsea.
NATHAN GARZA - Strength & Conditioning
Entering his first season in the Cubs’ organization, Garza will be Iowa’s strength and conditioning coach for the 2023 season. Prior to joining the Cubs, Hall was the strength and conditioning coach for the baseball and and women’s field hockey programs at the University of Maryland for two years and served as the Assistant Director of Sport Performance at Oral Roberts University for three years, from 2018-2021.
He earned his Bachelor of Science from Oral Roberts University in 2016 while also being a five-time letter winner on the baseball team. Garza earned his Masters in Kinesiology and Coaching from Georgia Southern University in 2018.
Garza resides in Scottsdale, AZ.