ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Mike Shildt has had an amazing baseball journey — from humble beginnings as a walk-on utility infielder at UNC Asheville in the fall of 1986 to enjoying a successful managerial career at the major league level for two franchises.

But the next stop for the 1993 UNCA graduate is returning to his roots with the Baltimore Orioles, the team he literally grew up with.

And the roots go back to before Mike was born. Shildt’s parents, Merle and Lib, were big Orioles fans and grew up in Maryland. They met, began dating in 1962 and Merle asked Lib for her hand in marriage. The proposal occurred at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore during an Orioles game.

Now, Shildt will help the Orioles as a senior instructor in the player development department.

Mike shocked the baseball world in October as he stepped down after two extraordinarily successful seasons as manager of the San Diego Padres. His reasons were simple — burnout and stress.

Under Shildt’s direction, the Padres won 93 games in 2024 and 90 games in 2025, a first in San Diego history. They finished a close second in the ultra-competitive National League West to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers — a franchise that outspent the Padres by more than $100 million on their payroll. At the same time, San Diego was going through an ownership change that caused the franchise to lose some key players to free agency.

Through it all, Shildt made it work, as suddenly the Padres-Dodgers rivalry was the best in baseball. San Diego made the playoffs both years and nearly stunned the Dodgers in the Divisional Series in 2024 before falling in five games.

When Shildt retired from the Padres, it was the talk of baseball, even overshadowing the Dodgers for a few days in their playoff run. The big question is what would Shildt do next?

“As this past season went on, I really enjoyed working with first baseman Luis Arraez,” Shildt said from his home in North Carolina recently. “We worked on his footwork and his positioning, and he became a very good first baseman.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching the game of baseball, and you don’t do that as much as a manager,” Shildt added. “I decided that’s where I was most happy, working with players and teaching them the game.”

Shildt’s phone was ringing off the hook, and there were many opportunities for him.

“I really wasn’t in a hurry looking for an opportunity,” he said. “But when the Orioles called with this position, I was intrigued. It was a teaching situation right in my wheelhouse.”

And then a phone call from the greatest Oriole of them all helped seal the deal.

“When Cal Ripken called, that really helped speed things up for me to work for the Orioles,” Shildt stated. “We talked for close to two hours about the organization and where they’re (Baltimore) at right now.

“The Orioles have done a fantastic job drafting, and they’re a healthy organization and have a chance to be very competitive in a very tough division in the American League East,” he added.

And Shildt and Ripken’s relationship goes a long way back to when Shildt was just 12 years old.

“My mom went to work in 1976 for the Charlotte Orioles,” Shildt remembered. “And when she went to work for the Charlotte Orioles, so did I.”

Shildt did a little of everything for the Charlotte Orioles. He ran the scoreboard, hunted down foul balls and shined players’ shoes, including those of Cal Ripken.

“Cal was there in the 1980 season when he was just 19 years old. I shined his shoes every day he was home that year,” Shildt said. “Working with my mom for the Charlotte Orioles was an incredible experience for me. I got to meet a lot of ballplayers on their way to the “show.”

Shildt’s new duties with the Orioles will be a little different than when he was with the Charlotte Orioles.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching the game of baseball,” Shildt said. “That has brought me as much joy as anything dating back to my time as an assistant coach at UNC Asheville.”

Shildt’s role with the Orioles will start in spring training, and then, as the season goes on, he will spend a week each month with Baltimore’s Triple-A team in Norfolk, Double-A team in Chesapeake and High-A team in Frederick.

“What we’re looking to do at spring training is implement what Craig Albernaz (Baltimore’s new manager) wants us to teach so when players get to the big leagues, they know what to expect,” Shildt said. “We want to make sure everyone is on the same page with our teaching.”

When Shildt joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 as an area scout, he never imagined what he would accomplish as a manager on the minor league and major league levels.

In eight years as a minor league manager, Shildt amassed a 471-432 record (.522 winning percentage). His teams won three straight championships between 2010 and 2012, a feat that had not been accomplished in baseball since the early 1960s.

Shildt’s championship team at Springfield in 2012 was named Baseball America’s Team of the Year across all minor league affiliates.

He became the Cardinals’ interim manager in 2018 and guided the team to a 41-28 record, just missing the playoffs despite being 11 games out when he took over.

The following season in 2019, Shildt led St. Louis to its first Central Division title in four years. The Cardinals upset the Atlanta Braves in the division series before falling to the eventual World Series champions Washington Nationals in the league championship series. For his efforts, he was named National League Manager of the Year.

In the pandemic season of 2020, Shildt somehow got his team to the playoffs despite leading MLB in COVID cases, suffering through a 17-day quarantine when no one from the Cardinals could step on a field during that time and having to play a league-high 11 doubleheaders.

In 2021, Shildt led the Cardinals to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The highlight of the season occurred late in the year when St. Louis set a team record with a 17-game winning streak. It was the longest winning streak in the National League since the 1935 Chicago Cubs!!!!

In 2024, Shildt was named manager of the San Diego Padres. He led San Diego to 93 wins and the playoffs, where the Padres nearly upset the heavily favored and eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished second in Manager of the Year voting.

Last year saw the Padres win 90 games and advance to the playoffs for the second straight season.

Shildt’s managerial record in the big leagues has left some big marks. Since 1952 among managers with at least 750 games under their belt, he ranks sixth overall in winning percentage (.561). Since 1990, Shildt has ranked fourth in that same category.

His teams also managed to win when it mattered most. His teams were 197-128 (.606) in regular-season games from August until the end of the season.