Bio

Casey Kopitzke was a two-time All-American before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 27th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The De Pere High School graduate helped the Titans to a 102-19 record, three WIAC championships and one NCAA Division III World Series appearance from 1997-99.

In 1999, Kopitzke was named a First Team All-American at the catcher position after batting .366 and leading the Titans with 42 runs, 13 doubles and nine home runs. He listed second on the squad with 38 runs batted in to help UW-Oshkosh to a 34-4 overall record, a 13-1 conference mark and a runner-up showing at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional. Kopitzke caught a UW-Oshkosh pitching staff that produced a conference-record 13 shutouts and a 1.38 earned run average.

Kopitzke earned Second Team All-America accolades in 1998 after helping UW-Oshkosh to a school record tying 41 wins and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division III World Series. He paced the team with a .383 batting average, 18 doubles and 68 runs batted in. His season RBI total ranked fourth in WIAC annals at the time and now lists ninth all-time. Kopitzke was second on the club with 10 home runs and 121 total bases. The Titans won the WIAC championship before winning the Midwest Regional and going 1-2 at the World Series.

In 1997, Kopitzke started all 37 games and batted .285 with 31 runs, four home runs and 20 runs batted in as the Titans compiled a 27-10 record.

Kopitzke ended his UW-Oshkosh career batting .350 with 23 home runs, 35 doubles and 126 RBIs in 121 games, all starts. For his efforts in the classroom, the College Sports Information Directors of America named Kopitzke to the 1999 Academic All-America Third Team.

After his collegiate career, Kopitzke played eight seasons in the Chicago Cubs minor league system, reaching the Triple-A level before becoming a minor league manager in the organization from 2008-12. The 2001 UW-Oshkosh graduate was the Cubs’ minor league catching coordinator from 2006-08.

In 2003, Kopitzke was named the most valuable player for the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate, and was chosen to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League after batting .261 with 27 runs, 20 RBIs and 10 doubles in 106 games. In 2006, Kopitzke was named the Triple-A Iowa Cubs’ Man of the Year for his contributions to the community.

His professional playing career also included four invitations to the Chicago Cubs spring training, where he had the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Major League Baseball hall of famer Greg Maddux as well as all-stars Aramis Ramirez, Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood.

After serving as the youngest minor league catching coordinator in all of baseball in 2006, Kopitzke was added to the Cubs staff as an assistant coach. He managed the Single-A Short Season Boise Hawks during 2009 before managing the Single-A Peoria Chiefs from 2010-12.

Following the 2012 season, Kopitzke left the Cubs organization to enroll in law school at Marquette University. Kopitzke will graduate in December 2015 and hopes to combine his law degree and experience in baseball to continue a career in the sports industry.

Kopitzke lives in De Pere with his wife, Erin, and son, Samuel. They are also parents to daughter, Catherine, who passed away as an infant.