Panther Alumnus Begins Season as Manager of Carolina Mudcats

AVON PARK, Fla. – April 10, 2024 – South Florida State College (SFSC) alumnus, Nick Stanley, was recently named the new manager of the Carolina Mudcats baseball team for the 2024 season.

The Carolina Mudcats are a minor league baseball team, part of the Carolina League, and a single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The team’s home games are held at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C., a suburb of Raleigh.

The Mudcats opened the 2024 season in Roanoke, Va. on Friday, April 5, in a game against the Salem Red Sox. Stanley’s first home game with the Mudcats was on Tuesday, April 9.

Like most professional ball players, Stanley’s interest in baseball began early on. “I loved the game as far back as I can remember,” he said. “I just loved watching the game and playing the game. I never really wanted to do anything else. I was all in on baseball from the time I could walk, and I’m still doing it now at 36 years old.”

Stanley, who is originally from St. Petersburg, Fla., graduated from SFSC in 2007 with an Associate in Arts. During the SFSC Panther Baseball team’s spring 2006 and 2007 seasons, he was the catcher and played first base on occasion. He went on to play baseball for North Carolina State University, then transferred to Florida Southern College. In 2009, Stanley was drafted to play professional baseball by the Houston Astros, where he was the first baseman.

In 2011, Stanley was offered an opportunity to head overseas and coach baseball in New Zealand. “It’s a small, growing, grassroots program,” he said. “Me and a few other people I know got plugged in with their national program. Several young players from the program have gone on to play baseball in the United States. One of them was Connor Gleeson, a New Zealand kid, who I coached.” Gleeson played as a right-hand pitcher for the SFSC Panthers Baseball team during the spring 2019 and 2020 seasons.

In 2012, Stanley earned a degree in Criminology from the University of South Florida.

Upon his return from New Zealand, Stanley wanted to become associated with a professional baseball team. “I was home for a few months, started talking to people, and things worked out with the Milwaukee Brewers organization,” he said. “Now, I’ve been with them seven seasons.”

The Mudcats are part of the Milwaukee Brewers Organization. “It’s the Carolina League,” Stanley said. “It’s Level A of the minor league. That means that these are some of the youngest players we have. It’s a starting point for them. There are three more levels before they can reach the major leagues. So, this is where they build their foundation, experience this lifestyle for the first time, and try to navigate the culture along with that. When someone is drafted, they start in the minor leagues, so no one goes directly to the major leagues.”

Stanley said that he took the job as team manager with the Mudcats because it gave him a chance to lead and set a foundation for young players. In his job, Stanley said he, “sets standards and expectations for his team, allowing the assistant coaches to run their department and make sure that the train stays on the track. I help players build the foundation of how to be a professional and how to operate in this lifestyle.”

In their careers, almost everyone has someone who served as a source of inspiration. For Stanley, that person is his wife, Dana. “My wife has been incredible throughout all this,” he said. “She’s not just supportive as a wife, but she has a background in leadership development. So, I feel as if I have a secret weapon. When I go home, she can coach me at times, particularly in communication styles and reaching people.”

While he’s on the road, he brings Dana and their two young boys with him. “We’ll go one week at home, one week on the road,” he said. “My kids go on a few road trips, but not all the time.”

In the offseason, Stanley focuses on family. “I just try to keep things simple,” he said. “I’ve got two young boys, and I’m the dad who does the school drop off and things like that. So, my wife can have some time to breathe and work.”

When asked how his education assisted him through his baseball career, Stanley said, “The discipline that it takes to succeed in the classroom is no different than what it takes to succeed as a baseball player or as a coach. It’s effort, standards, and having to show up every day and live up to those standards, being challenged, being taken out of your comfort zone, doing things right on and off the field. That’s the foundation that I got through my education. From day one, you start to build on that.”

Stanley has advice for young baseball players: “Keep moving forward. Everybody’s journey is different. Mine was unique – ending up on the other side of the world to come back and become a professional baseball coach. You may see in the media about some players getting drafted high up and it seems like their route was easy. The truth is, it’s not easy for anyone. If you love playing baseball, let that be your guide. Don’t do it for any other reason than that you love it.”