Brewers' Double-A manager takes home impressive award after memorable 2025 season

When I talked to Javik Blake, the play-by-play broadcaster for the Biloxi Shuckers, back in early February, he informed me of manager Joe Ayrault's motto during the 2024 season. Through a season filled with obstacles and bad breaks, Blake told me that, "One of the big things that Joe [Ayrault] really harped on last year was ‘being a buffalo.’ That’s why there was a buffalo head in the dugout. Cows run away from the storm, buffaloes run into the storm."

It's much easier said than done, this idea of welcoming challenges with the understanding that it will help you grow as a player. However, with enough encouragement and guidance from Ayrault and the rest of Biloxi's coaching staff, the 2024 Shuckers went from losing 10 games in late May to qualifying for the Southern League playoffs by the end of the season.

While it's one thing to "be a buffalo" in the game of baseball, training yourself to embrace the slumps and struggles that inevitably arise throughout a long season of minor league baseball, it's another thing to apply that same mentality to life away from the diamond. Last year, Ayrault himself faced one of the toughest challenges that life has to offer; halfway through the 2024 season, he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

As documented in an expertly crafted article from MLB.com's Adam McCalvy during Spring Training, Ayrault not only relied on the support of his close family and friends to make it through his rounds of chemotherapy but also his players, who turned around and offered him the same advice that he had given them throughout the season. When he was deemed healthy enough to return to coaching, Ayrault was welcomed back to Biloxi's dugout with open arms, and what followed was a season that neither he nor anyone who followed the Shuckers this year will soon forget.

Biloxi Shuckers' manager, Joe Ayrault, wins Southern League Manager of the Year Award

It's no easy task managing a minor league team. In general, the dugout is filled with new faces every year, players often depart in the middle of the season, and as a result success can be punishing to a team's long-term chance at success. The Biloxi Shuckers were no exception in 2025. After losing several starting pitchers from a season ago to promotions to Triple-A and the major leagues, and welcoming a new group of young position players, there was no guarantee that 2025 was going to be a success for the Shuckers.

However, those uncertainties were quickly alleviated, as the Shuckers got off to one of the best starts in franchise history, breaking numerous records with their impressive offensive performance. They easily won the South Division first half championship, securing a spot in the postseason before the calendar flipped to July.

While their playoff run didn't end as they hoped it would — the Shuckers suffered a two-game sweep at the hands of the Montgomery Biscuits in the Southern League Division Series — it was still a memorable season for the Brewers' Double-A affiliate. From Brock Wilken's record-breaking start to the season, to the continued development of Cooper Pratt, to the late-season additions of Blake Burke and Jesús Made, to the impressive pitching performances of Tate Kuehner and Alexander Cornielle, it really was an unforgettable year down in Biloxi, and none of it would have happened without the manager Joe Ayrault leading the charge.