January 30, 2021

Official Kitchener Panthers News Release

KITCHENER - The Kitchener Panthers have hired Don Menard as the new field manager for the 2021 season.

A Windsor, Ont., native, Menard has an extensive background in baseball, as a player, coach, and manager, in both Ontario and Michigan.

Most recently,. he has managed the Windsor Selects and the Tecumseh Thunder at Baseball Canada championships, winning two Silver Medals. Over the course of his career as a manager and a coach, he has participated in nine Ontario Championships and one Canadian Championship. He is also a Baseball Canada and Baseball Ontario coaching facilitator.

John Raddi will also join the Kitchener Panthers as assistant general manager. He previously held this position with the Guelph Royals, and is a former pitcher, with the Mississauga Majors and the Guelph Royals of the IBL.

Steve Scagnetti, who is no stranger to Panthers fans, is re-joining the Panthers as a coach. He is a former Panthers pitcher and field manager, winning IBL Championships with both Kitchener and Guelph. He provides great experience as a player, field manager and general manager.

Adam Echlin will join the Panthers in the role of intern, player recruitment. Panthers fans will no doubt remember Adam Echlin for the excellent career he had in the IBL. He has won Canadian and Michigan championships, including a championship with the Michigan Jet Box. A strong competitive spirit, as well as having extensive contacts in baseball, make him ideally suited for this position.

Javier Herrera Lanza will also join the Panthers as a coach for 2021. Originally from Havana, Cuba, he was a member of the 1980 La Habana Junior National championship Team. He managed in the Cuban Provincial Series, finishing second twice and winning the Championship in 1999. He works well with our Cuban imports and has a wealth of baseball knowledge.

“We are pleased to welcome Don Menard, and John Raddi, to the Panthers Organization and to welcome back former Panthers Steve Scagnetti and Adam Echlin. Javier Herrera Lanza is back for his second year with the Panthers,” said Panthers general manager Mike Boehmer.

“All these men bring a great deal of enthusiasm, experience, and baseball knowledge to the Panthers. With the season opening pushed through to June 2021, we are hopeful to begin winter/spring workouts as soon as possible; once we get the green light from the provincial government and Waterloo Region Public Health.”

The Kitchener Panthers are a member of Canada’s top baseball league, the Intercounty Baseball League. The 100-year old summer league is one of the oldest baseball leagues in the world, with the league established in 1919, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind.