Burlington, N.C. - The Burlington Sock Puppets are set to enter their fifth season in the reimagined Appalachian League this summer with familiar faces leading the team. Earlier this spring, the club announced the return of Anthony Essien as manager and now announced the return of both Rob Selna (Hitting Coach) and Torrey Pettiford (Development Coach). Joining the team as the new pitching coach is 12-year MLB vet Dave Schmidt.
Anthony Essien (Manager)
A California-native, Essien has been with the Sock Puppets since its inaugural season in 2021, when he served as pitching coach, before being named manager in the second half of the 2022 season. Under Essien, Burlington has consistently been at the top of the standings, appearing in two league championship games, one division championship game, and totaling 64 wins (which ties him fifth all-time in league history).
Rob Selna (Hitting Coach)
Selna is also returning for his fourth season in Sockville as hitting coach. In each of his three years, Selna has seen the Sock Puppets in the top half of the league in OPS, on-base percentage, runs and stolen bases. Another California-native, Selna brings back three decades worth of knowledge, both playing and coaching, and has an overall passion for developing the next generation of baseball players. Selna also coaches third base along with serving as the hitting coach.
Dave Schmidt (Pitching Coach)
Schmidt is entering his first year as pitching coach for the Burlington Sock Puppets, bringing with him a 12-year Major League career. Schmidt, who made his MLB debut in 1981, played for the Texas Rangers (1981-85), Chicago White Sox (1986), Baltimore Orioles (1987-89), Montreal Expos (1990-91) and Seattle Mariners (1992), and posted a career 3.88 ERA and 479 strikeouts over 376 career games. Schmidt attended UCLA, before being drafted by the Rangers in the 1979 MLB Draft.
Torrey Pettiford (Bench Coach)
Pettiford returns to the Appalachian League for his fourth season, second in Burlington. He spent the first two seasons as the bench coach for the Danville Otterbots. Prior to that, Pettiford served as an associate scout for the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and presently the Orioles. Pettiford has an incredible eye for talent and helped develop players such as DJ Burt, Jo Adell, Bryce Wilson, Xavier Issac, Khalil Watson and many others. Prior to his scouting career, Pettiford was selected out of UNC-Pembroke in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1994. Pettiford is a native of Cedar Grove, N.C., and spent the majority of his rookie season in the Appalachian League (Martinsville).
