The Challengers present the new coaching staff for the U15-Cadets for the 2026 season. Garrick Smith, who led the team last season, will be succeeded by Armin Blickenstorfer, a Challenger native. After more than a decade as an NLA player and four Swiss championship titles, he moved to the sidelines, where he coached baseball, softball, and junior teams, including the Swiss Little League team. Most recently, he was the successful head coach of the Challengers’ U12 Juveniles for several years and since 2025 he has also been an assistant coach for the Swiss Cadets national team.

The new coaching staff includes Mindy Siemers, who previously worked with Blickenstorfer at the Juveniles level, and Livan Gonzalez, who, as a Cuban, has baseball in his blood and extensive experience in martial arts. The new team manager will be Jean-Claude Nicoud.

The Challengers would like to thank Garrick Smith and Nico Bucher for their outstanding commitment to the Cadets.