Marty Pevey returns as manager for the I-Cubs for the 13th-consecutive season, extending his franchise-record tenure. Pevey’s 748 wins are a franchise record and his 1,392 victories are sixth-most among active minor league managers.
His Cubs career began in 2009 as the manager of Single-A Peoria. 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. 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. This season will mark Pevey’s 43nd in professional baseball, having played for 13 and coached for 29 entering 2025.
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. Pevey’s career accolades include 1998 Atlantic League Manager of the Year honors and 2009 Midwest League Co-Manager of the Year respects.
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 enters his second 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.
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 returns for his second season with Iowa 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.
Folden is in her sixth year with the Cubs and her first as Iowa’s hitting coach. She spent the 2024 season as a minor league hitting coordinator/hitting coach with Double-A Knoxville and was previously a hitting coach with the ACL Cubs. Folden played five seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch league, including time with the Chicago Bandits.
Kyle Moore - Assistant Pitching Coach
Moore enters his second year in the Cubs’ organization and first with Iowa. He spent nine years coaching in Baltimore’s organization, including managing Short-A Aberdeen in 2018, Low-A Delmarva in 2019, High-A Aberdeen in 2021 and Double-A Bowie in 2022-23. Moore served as the bench coach for High-A South Bend in 2024. He played two minor league seasons with Baltimore in 2010-11.
Betcher enters his third year in the Cubs' organization, all with Iowa. The 2025 season will be his second as assistant pitching coach after serving as a development coach in 2024. Betcher played baseball at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin.
Ed Halbur - Athletic Trainer
Halbur enters his 23rd season with the Cubs organization and his eigth 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.
Connor Rooney - Strength & Conditioning
Rooney joins Iowa’s staff after spending 2022 and 2024 as a rehab strength and conditioning staff for the Cubs in Arizona with a stint as a strength and conditioning coach with Double-A Knoxville in 2023.