Wild Things Tab Andy Fleischacker As First Base Coach
WASHINGTON, Pa. (March 19) – The Washington Wild Things have hired Andy Fleischacker as the club’s first base coach for the 2026 season. Fleischacker brings a lot of experience to the table and has been coaching baseball in some capacity since 1995. He was inducted into the Swiss Baseball and Softball Hall of Fame in 2025.
Fleischacker takes over for Cole Bumbales, who’d been with the team since late in the 2024 season and left the team to explore other opportunities both on and off the field.
“With Cole leaving to pursue other opportunities, we were looking for an energetic, enthusiastic coach to fill his role,” said sixth-year manager Tom Vaeth. “Andy has experience in international baseball that I’m sure all our players will benefit from. He’s eager to get to Washington and is very grateful for this opportunity to be in the Frontier League and with us this season.”
Fleischacker’s work career began in 1995 with the Vienna Wanderers Baseball Club in Austria, where he was the head coach. He was hitting coach for Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1997 and was envoy coach to Germany for a six-week program with four different clubs with Major League Baseball International that year. He took over as head coach for the Cologne Cardinals in 1998, a team in Germany. From 2000 to 2002 and again from 2007 through 2008, he was head coach for the Zürich Challengers in Switzerland. In between he was an assistant at Chaminade High School in Hollywood, Florida, at Greensboro College in North Carolina, hitting coach for the Asheboro Copperheads (CPL) in 2005 and hitting coach for the Salinas Valley Packers (California Collegiate Summer League) in 2006.
He was the hitting and catching coach for the Swiss National Team in 2008 before spending a year at Lake Erie College as hitting coach, time as the head coach of the Solingen Alligators in Germany (2009-10), four more seasons with the Swiss National Team, where he was head coach of the Senior/U18/U15 national teams from 2011-15. Since, he was head coach of senior teams in Switzerland (Therwil Flyers), an assistant at Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida, bench coach for the Ireland U18 National Team for two years and a player development coordinator and Florida HS Director for Kangaroo Court and Top Tier Roos Baseball Club in Tampa. He’s also been doing private hitting instruction in Tampa since 2022.
Long story, short: Fleischacker is bringing a boatload of experience to the Wild Things.
“I would like to thank Tom Vaeth and the entire front office for giving me this opportunity to come to the Wild Things and work toward the goal of a Frontier League Championship,” said Fleischacker. “I look forward to getting to Washington in April and bringing energy and fire every day in support of Tom and the players.”
The hire fills out Washington’s field staff with Vaeth, pitching coach Josh Flowerman, Fleischacker and third-year athletic trainer Hailey Drollinger. The support staff is still filling out and will be announced at a later date.
The 24th season of Wild Things baseball in the MLB-partnered Frontier League begins Friday, May 7 on the road and at home with the homer opener scheduled for Friday, May 15 against the Schaumburg Boomers at EQT Park. For updates, other information and more, visit washingtonwildthings.com or follow the team on social media at facebook.com/WashingtonWildThings or @WashWildThings on other platforms. Single game tickets are available now and the club’s promo schedule has been released. You can buy tickets here.
