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Cory Bigler enters his sixth season as an assistant at his alma mater. Bigler serves as Milwaukee's head assistant coach as well as pitching coach. He also assists with recruiting. Under Bigler's watch a season ago, Brad Lusti stepped in immediately as a weekend starter for UWM and earned Horizon League All-Newcomer Team honors. He led the team with a 4.24 ERA that ranked eighth in the Horizon League. He led the team with 97.2 innings pitched, which finished second in league, and had a team-high 53 strikeouts (fifth). He also helped Andy Hetebrueg to six wins on the year (third in the league), including a stretch of victories in four-straight starts. "Cory has really poured his heart and soul into his job here, whether it is recruiting, field work, office work or practice," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "He does it with everything he has. We work hand in hand on all aspects of the program and he has been such a great asset - we are blessed to have him." In 2007, Robert Michalkiewicz earned second team all-league honors, leading the conference in shutouts and complete games while setting UWM records for career games started, innings pitched and with his streak of 22.1 consecutive scoreless innings. The staff also posted the first one-hitter since April of 2003. Rick Cavaiani recorded the best winning percentage in school history in 2006, going 8-2 with seven-consecutive wins at one point in earning all-league honors. Jed Dolske finished with a 2.33 ERA and seven saves, setting the school record for career saves while becoming just the second-ever Panther to pitch in more than 100 games. Aaron Sorenson earned Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors in 2005. The junior hurler tied the school-record with nine victories and also tied school records for strikeouts in a game with 13 against Butler and consecutive wins in one season with seven-straight. Bigler worked with an injury-riddled pitching staff in 2004 but was still able to mold the unit into a solid group. Junior hurler Ben Stanczyk was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year with a 7-3 record and four saves while freshman Robert Michalkiewicz also excelled in his first year at UWM. Stanczyk was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers after the 2004 season and has steadily moved up in the organization since his rookie season. A three-year letterwinner from 1993-95, Bigler transferred to Milwaukee from UW-Oshkosh, where he played in 1992. At UWM, the righthander posted an 11-8 record, pitching 136.0 innings in 21 starts. Bigler's best season came in 1994 when he posted a staff-best 4.26 earned run average to go along with a team-high 47 strikeouts. Following that season, Bigler was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Bigler played two seasons of professional baseball. Even while playing during his college years, coaching has always been in Bigler's blood. Bigler served as a part-time and full-time pitching instructor at Mike Hegan's Field of Dreams from 1995-2001 while also serving as the pitching coach at Cardinal Stritch University in 1996-97. Bigler added to his impressive resume by serving as the varsity pitching coach at the high school level, coaching at Whitnall High School from 1998-2002 and Brookfield Central High School in 2003. In addition to his credentials as a pitching coach, Bigler has also served as the coordinator and instructor of the Bigler Baseball Summer camps each of the last nine years. The Bigler Summer Camps are run by Cory and feature instruction on all aspects of the game. Bigler and his wife, Marci, reside in Brookfield with their two children: four year old daughter Emery and son Brooks, born in the summer of 2006. |
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