Mariners Announce Four Additions to High Performance Staff

Rob Scheidegger, Sean Johnson, Kate Weiss, Jameel Battle join Mariners front office

SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today the following additions to the Mariners High Performance Staff:

• Rob Scheidegger — Manager, High Performance Training
• Sean Johnson — Manager, Athlete Care
• Kate Weiss — Coordinator, Sports Sciences
• Jameel Battle — Athletic Training Fellow

Scheidegger will manage the medical and athletic training staffs throughout the organization. He joins the Mariners after nearly 20 years in the University of Washington Department of Athletics. From 2017 until joining the Mariners this week he served as Associate Athletic Director for Health & Wellness — Head Athletic Trainer. In addition to his duties as Head Athletic Trainer, he managed the UW Sports Medicine team of 14 full-time certified athletic trainers, physical therapist, 8 team physicians, 2 full-time sports dieticians, 3 licensed mental health professionals, the educational intern program and wide variety of medical consultants. Rob was responsible for coordinating the comprehensive health services to 20 different sport programs which included over 650 Division I student-athletes.

At the UW he had previously served in various roles including Head Football Athletic Trainer (2005–2017) and Assistant Athletic Trainer (2004–2005) after beginning his career as the Certified Intern Athletic Trainer (2002–2004).

Scheidegger is a Yakima, WA native who received his Bachelor of Science, Exercise Science from Central Washington University.

Johnson will manage the team’s efforts in strength, conditioning, nutrition, and performance. From 2017 until joining the Mariners he worked with the Los Angeles Angels as a physical therapist and assistant strength and conditioning coach. Concurrently, he was adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California (USC) in the Division of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy. He spent the previous eight years in positions of increasing responsibility and teaching in Los Angeles and at USC.

Recognitions include the USC Tommy Award for Faculty Advisor of the Year (2016), California Physical Therapy Association Rising Star Award (2011) and the USC Physical Therapy Outstanding Mentor Award (2009). He is the AL representative to the Professional Baseball Physical Therapy Society and the founder and charter president of the USC Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy Black Alumni Association.

Johnson received his Bachelor of Science: Biology & Exercise Science from the University of Sioux Falls, where he also played football. He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from USC in 2008.

Weiss will oversee the gathering and dissemination of all data relating to player health, readiness, and performance. She spent the previous two-and-a-half years with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their Major League Sport Science Coordinator. She was the Sport Science and Research Coordinator at TD Athlete’s Edge in Boston in 2017–18 and has also worked at Auckland University of Technology and for Spectrum Clubs in California as a private instructor and personal trainer. She has also consulted with the Dodgers (2018), New Zealand Breakers Basketball (2015–16), the Oakland Raiders (2016) and Ball State Men’s Tennis (2012–13).

Kate received her Bachelor of Science Kinesiology from the University of Southern California in 2009 and her Master of Science Exercise Science — Biomechanics in 2013 from Ball State University. She earned her PhD in Sport Science and Biomechanics in 2017 from Auckland (NZ) University of Technology.

Battle will spend the 2021 season as the Fellow in the Mariners Athletic Training Department. He worked in private practice since 2011 while concurrently serving in 2018 and 2019 as the Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer for Clark Atlanta University and in 2016–2018 as a Physical Therapist with WellStar Health System in Atlanta. In 2017 he also did a Sports Medicine Residency with the Arizona Diamondbacks, working with their Major League and minor league rosters.

Jameel graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science Environmental Health and Safety. He earned a Master of Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2011 from Yo San University (Los Angeles, CA) before earning a Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont in 2016. He added a Master of Athletic Training from Life University (Atlanta, GA) in 2018.