Gregg Zaun will head coach the Kelowna Falcons next year/ KelownaFalcons.com

By Vernon Matters Staff

Star power

Gregg Zaun to head Kelowna Falcons

Oct 14, 2025 | 10:09 AM

A star name will head the coaching line up for the Kelowna Falcons next season.

The club has announced former Major League Baseball catcher Gregg Zaun has been named the new head coach for 2026.

“I’m very excited for this opportunity that the Nonis Family has given me to lead the Falcons,” Zaun in a n announcement on the Falcons website. “The Falcons fans are going to see a very exciting brand of baseball at Elks Stadium next summer. We will put in the work, play with a high level of energy and give our fans a lot to cheer about.”

Zaun played over 1,200 games in the Major Leagues from 1995-2010, suiting up for the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers and won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1997.

Following his playing career, he became a broadcaster joining SportsNet and covered the Blue Jays. He then got back into the dugout as a manager in independent professional baseball and most recently he was the manager of the Quintana Roo Tigers of the Mexican League.

Displaced For A Week

Some residents still displaced from fatal apartment fire

2h ago

High Fatal Overdose Risk

Drug alert issued in Vernon

4h ago

Parkrun

Local teacher bringing global running group to the North Okanagan

7h ago

“Gregg has been interested in our ballclub for the last several seasons,” says Dan Nonis, Kelowna Falcons owner. “The timing didn’t work out until now and we are looking forward to having Gregg lead our team back into the playoffs and bring exciting baseball to our fans next summer.”

Joining Zaun in the Falcons dugout next summer will be Graig Merritt who has West Coast League experience with the Victoria Harbourcats from 2015-2016. He led his club to a record setting 19-game winning streak and finished the 2016 season at 40-14 and was named the WCL Coach of the Year. Merritt is a native of Maple Ridge who was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays as a catcher in 2001 reaching double-A in his five seasons as a pro. Following his playing career, he became a Rays scout spending seven seasons in that capacity.

The Falcons are hosting a meet-and-greet and watch party at the Train Station Pub on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30pm where fans can come and meet Gregg. The pub will be airing the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series that is scheduled to begin at 5:08pm.

Zaun and Merritt have begun to fill out the Falcons 2026 roster and are looking forward to the WCL schedule to be released in the coming weeks.