Hamilton Cardinals Announce Coaching Staff for the 2025 Season

Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Cardinals are pleased to announce their coaching staff for the 2025 season, led by Manager Chris Piano, who has signed a two-year extension. Piano, a Hamilton native, has been a key part of the Cardinals’ staff since 2021, bringing significant experience from playing and coaching stints with the Union Kufstein Vikings in Austria (2009) and the Berkley Eagles in Australia (2008). He also played five seasons with the Hamilton franchise in the IBL, achieving a career batting average of .281 and leading the league in triples in 2011. In his first season as manager, Piano led the team to 18 wins and was selected as Co-Manager for the North All-Star Team.

Dean Castelli will join Piano’s staff as Bench Coach. Castelli, the 1993 IBL Rookie of the Year, has a longstanding connection with the Hamilton Cardinals. Following his impressive playing career, he coached over 300 games with the Cardinals and earned Manager of the Year honours in 2018 and 2019.

Luis Bernardo steps in as Assistant Coach after two seasons as the Cardinals’ starting catcher. Bernardo’s playing career includes six seasons in the Baltimore Orioles organization, reaching the Class-A Advanced level with the Frederick Keys. Bernardo’s responsibilities have expanded to include import player recruitment in the front office. 

Daniel Jagdeo will also return to the coaching staff as Hitting Coach. As a player, Jagdeo played 267 games with a career batting average of .291, and amassed 287 hits. His playing history includes time with the Hamilton Thunderbirds in 2011, followed by the Hamilton Cardinals from 2012 to 2014, and concluding with four seasons in Brantford.