The Green Bay Blue Ribbons are pleased to announce the return of Manager Haydon Price, as well as his entire coaching staff, including all four assistant coaches, Bret Whiffen, Brian Price, Jr., Liam Jones and Bill Morgan, for the 2025 baseball season.
Coming off of a successful first season as the team’s Field Manager, Price also earned a pair of promotions, as he was named the Blue Ribbons’ Director of Player Personnel and Assistant General Manager.
After spending his first two seasons as an assistant coach under former Skipper, Anthony Sottile, Price took the helm in 2024 and led the Blue Ribbons to their best season since the organization returned to play in 2016.
Green Bay finished the year with an overall record of 34-15, winning the Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League title for the first time in their history, while finishing in second place in the Wisconsin State League. The young Blue Ribbons squad earned a trip to the State Tournament for the first time since 2019, and finished as the runner-up, coming up just short to a Kenosha Kings team loaded with veteran former pro players.
“Going from 25-25 in 2023, to 34-15 in 2024, I thought that we made a statement and earned the respect of other teams in the WSL and NEWBL,” Price said. “Going from a borderline .500 team, to a team leading both leagues respectively throughout most of the summer, I couldn’t have asked for much more out of our squad.”
And bigger things are on the horizon for 2025, with roster construction already underway.
“Personally, I’m hungry for more”, Price continued. “I believe in this staff and this group. Seeing the growth over the course of last summer from our young core, transitioning to this level, gave me confidence that we are set up well for the future. I want nothing more than to bring a Championship to the Blue Ribbons organization, (and) I think we are very close.”
Bret Whiffen will be returning as the team’s pitching coach in 2024, marking his fifth season with the organization. The Blue Ribbons all-time saves leader, Whiffen is a graduate of William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and pitched for Green Bay for three seasons, before joining the coaching staff last year.
After holding a dual role of first base coach and pitching coach, Whiffen is back as the team’s Pitching Coordinator in 2025. He will also be contributing on the player development side of things, and is excited to continue to build upon last season’s success.
“I wanted to return for 2025 because we have unfinished business”, Whiffen said. “We narrowly missed out on winning both the WSL and the State Tournament. Our goal this year is to bring that title to Green Bay.”
Brian Price, Jr. comes back for season number two in Green Bay, graduating from his assistant coach role last season, to take over as the team’s full-time first base coach, while also serving as a High School Area Scout in Northern Wisconsin. Price, Jr., who is currently attending UW-Oshkosh, used his first season to learn on the job, with hopes of continued success as he takes on more responsibilities with the team.
“Coming into the season, as a staff, we were pretty unsure about how the summer would go,” Price, Jr. said. “We knew we brought in talented players to help us win games, but various factors play into a team’s performance besides skill. The culture that was built was a stepping stone for years to come, and how our staff wants our players to play Blue Ribbon baseball. Our guys meshed well together, and the chemistry they had helped us power through and win some tough games.”
And Price, Jr. believes that those in attendance at Joannes Stadium in 2025 are going to like what they see. “I think Blue Ribbon fans can expect to see an increase in overall speed and gap power on the offensive side and some hard-throwing, high-ceiling pitchers on the defensive side of the ball, as well as a “No-Fly Zone” outfield,” he said. “Fans can expect to see a highly energetic, fast, physical, and competitive team in 2025.”
Liam Jones will be returning as the team’s third base coach for a second season, and will also serve as the Assistant Pitching Coach, marking his sixth year with the Blue Ribbons. Jones spent his first four years as a two-way player for Green Bay, earning promotions to the La Crosse Loggers in 2022 and the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League in 2023, before taking on a coaching position last season.
Overall, Jones was happy with how his first season as an assistant coach turned out. “I was pleasantly surprised by the group of young men we had,” Jones said. “Their ability to respond and be coachable was truly awesome.”
A graduate of Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, Jones remains among the Blue Ribbons’ modern era leaders in innings pitched and strikeouts, and his passion for the game, and this team in particular, keeps him coming back.
“I just love this program,” he said. “Going into my sixth year, I’m just glad they let me keep coming back!”
Rounding out the coaching staff is Bill Morgan, who will be back as the team’s bench coach in 2025. Morgan, who formerly served as a President of the Green Bay Billy’s, and currently is an assistant coach at Preble High School, joined the Blue Ribbons as a member of their Board of Directors in 2021, and has held a variety of titles with the team, including Assistant General Manager and Equipment Manager, in addition to his role as assistant coach.
Former Manager Anthony Sottile, now serving in a Player Development position for the Blue Ribbons, also received a promotion, earning the additional title of Area Scout for Southern Wisconsin.
The Blue Ribbons 2025 season will get underway in late May, with a roughly 50-game schedule throughout the summer, culminating with the Wisconsin Class-A State Tournament in early August. The Ribbons play their home games at historic Joannes Stadium on Green Bay’s east side, and the 2025 season schedule will be released in the coming months.