Grand Lake Mariners Tap Legendary College Coach Mike Roberts as New Head Coach

CELINA, Ohio, October 27, 2025 — A well-known name in baseball will be joining the Grand Lake Mariners for the 2026 season. Former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mike Roberts is slated to take the reins as Mariners head coach next year, ushering in an exciting new era for the Mariners.

Roberts has extensive coaching experience. After playing for the Tar Heels as a catcher and completing two seasons in the Kansas City Royals’ minor league system, he served as head coach of the Tar Heels for over 20 seasons. His collegiate coaching career included two trips to the College World Series, five Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships and the opportunity to coach many future major league players.

Roberts also coached one year at UNC Asheville before ending his college coaching career with an 806-460-3 overall record. He then transitioned to coaching collegiate summer baseball while at the same time working as a full-time base running consultant for the Chicago Cubs, then the Baltimore Orioles and recently the Pittsburgh Pirates. In Coach Roberts’ 20-plus years with the Cotuit Kettleers of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, he led the Kettleers to league championship titles in 2010, 2013 and 2019.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Grand Lake Mariners organization. The leadership team has a grassroots love of the game. As a head coach, you want and need the support from people who understand the game as it is played on the field. My passion as a coach is teaching the fundamentals of baseball to young players and helping them mature on and off the field,” Roberts said.

The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) inducted Roberts into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2015. In addition to his coaching accomplishments, he has written two books on base stealing.

“Mike knows the game inside and out. He’s a fixture in the baseball world, and we’re thrilled to have him at the helm,” Mariners President Bill Montgomery said. “He brings the winning touch to every team he’s a part of, and we know he’s going to do great things with the Mariners.”

Roberts’ son, Brian Roberts, played for him at North Carolina and went on to play for 14 years in major league baseball with the Orioles and Yankees.

About the Grand Lake Mariners

The Grand Lake Mariners were founded in 1989 and played their first game in 1990. The organization is the second oldest franchise in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL). The GLSCL is one of 12 summer leagues approved by the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB). The NACSB is sponsored in part by Major League Baseball, which requires the use of wood bats.