WALLA WALLA, Washington – The Walla Walla Sweets have finalized their coaching staff for the upcoming summer season, adding three familiar faces with a range of experience to the dugout. Leo Rivera, Raul Camacho, and Elijah Maris will all join the Sweets, bringing fresh energy and perspective to the team.

Maris, currently a senior at Linfield University, will begin his first coaching role with the Sweets this summer. The Atlanta native has had a well-traveled collegiate career, beginning at Ventura College, where he played for two seasons before the COVID-19 pandemic cut short his third. He went on to spend a year at Hawaii Pacific, followed by a stint at Corban University in the 2022–23 season, before transferring to Linfield, where he has played for the past two years.

This season, Maris has started all 34 games for the Wildcats, hitting .283. He also brings West Coast League experience, having played 47 games for the Springfield Drifters last summer and finishing with a .276 average.

Camacho returns for his fifth season with the Sweets and served as the team’s pitching coach last year. He is also the athletic director at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California, and has deep roots in the game.

“I started playing baseball at the age of six and have been on a field as a player or coach every summer since,” Camacho said. “When I finished playing, I knew I wanted to stay in the game, and coaching let me stay in the competition along with being able to share what I have learned from some pretty amazing coaches in my lifetime.”

Prior to joining the Sweets, Camacho coached in the California Collegiate League. He says his passion for baseball stems from the sport’s unpredictability and sensory experience.

“The outcome is not a given beforehand—David can slay Goliath every single day,” Camacho said. “The individual battle on every single pitch… the roar of the crowd, the sound of a bat squaring up a ball. The total atmosphere that tests all your senses—the home white uniforms versus the dark grays, the smell of fresh-cut grass and a hot dog and beer in the stands, the taste of sunflower seeds, the feel of a pearl in your hands.”

Rivera joins the Sweets just a year removed from playing. He spent the past two seasons with Lewis-Clark State College and previously played four years at Borleske Stadium while attending Whitman College. The Seattle native also suited up for the Sweets for two seasons.

“What I am most looking forward to this summer is showing up to Borleske Stadium—it is one of the best fields in the Northwest, and we are lucky to call it our home,” Rivera said. “I’m excited to work with hitters in the indoor facility that I spent so many hours in as a player, and also get to use the brand new Edwards-Moore Clubhouse.”

This will be Rivera’s second year as a coach.

Maris, Camacho, and Rivera will aim to make an impact from the dugout all summer long. Fans can catch the Sweets in action at Borleske Stadium, with the home opener set for June 6 against the Ridgefield Raptors. Single game tickets are now on sale at sweetstickets.com.