Cory Bigler is back for his 23rd season on the coaching staff at his alma mater. Bigler serves as Milwaukee’s head assistant coach as well as pitching coach, while also assisting in the program’s recruiting efforts.
During his time as a coach on the staff, Bigler has seen 18 players selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft including 12 of his pitchers. Owen Rice was Bigler’s most recent draftee, having been selected in the 20th round of the 2024 draft in June.
Throughout his tenure on the staff, Bigler has overseen five of his pitchers earn Horizon League Pitcher of the Year honors, in addition to four Relief Pitcher of the Year winners, and a pair of pitchers earning league Newcomer of the Year titles. Bigler has helped coach 13 All-Horizon League First Team pitchers, as well as 12 All-League Second Team honorees.
Milwaukee’s pitching staff was one of the best in the Horizon League in 2025 as Gavin Theis was selected as the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year following a 9-1 record with a 4.38 ERA. Logan Snow was named the league’s Reliever of the Year, finishing the season with seven saves while posting a 1.89 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP over 29 1/3 innings. As a team, Milwaukee had a 7.50 ERA and finished the year with 395 strikeouts.
The 2024 pitching staff led the Horizon League in earned run average, hits allowed, and batting average against, while also allowing the fewest number of doubles and home runs on the year. The staff was led by All-League First Team Selection Luke Hansel, while Adrian Montilva earned a spot on the Second Team.
In 2023, the Panthers struck out 463 batters over 482 innings, led by Frey who finished the regular season with the Horizon League lead in strikeouts. Nate DeYoung and Sam Mathews proved to be a key 1-2 punch for the Panthers out of the bullpen, with Mathews earning All-Conference honors.
The 2021 season saw a trio of pitchers earn honors including AJ Blubaugh, who was named Horizon League Reliever of the Year. Blubaugh finished the regular season with a 1.96 ERA, seven saves, and an average of 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Frey and James Severson were named to the Horizon league All-Freshman team.
Two years prior, Jake Sommers recorded 10 saves, struck out 37 batters in 30.0 innings and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball Draft. Jared Reklaitis set school records with 18 starts and 104 strikeouts as the pair earned All-League accolades. The staff in 2019, also broke the school record for strikeouts in a season, finishing with 449.
Bigler mentored Austin Schulfer through a First-Team All-Horizon League campaign in 2018, topped off by his selection in the MLB Draft. Schulfer broke the career strikeouts record, while both he and Reklaitis set a new mark with 15 strikeouts in a game.
Jay Peters earned first team honors in the Horizon League after finishing second in league play in strikeouts, innings and victories, while also becoming the first hurler in program history to throw four complete games in a row. In addition, the staff broke the school record for most strikeouts in a game, recording 17 against Oakland on April 23.
Bigler mentored the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year in 2016, with Brian Keller becoming the first-ever Panther to win 10 games in a season while also setting season and career records for strikeouts and innings pitched. Keller went on to be selected by the New York Yankees in the MLB Draft.
The 2015 season saw a pair of pitchers selected as First-Team All-Horizon League members, marking a first-ever for the Milwaukee program. The team ERA of 3.93 was just the second sub-4.00 mark and finished second all-time. In addition to Justin Langley and Joe Pavlovich earning first-team honors, Langley was selected by the Miami Marlins in the MLB Draft and the program witnessed its first no-hitter in school history.
The 2013 campaign continued a recent trend, as the team was second in the Horizon League in ERA (first in league-only games), making the past three seasons the top three-lowest ERA’s in Milwaukee program history. Bigler led league Pitcher of the Year, Jake Long, who led the conference in victories and ERA at 1.73 - the lowest in the league by over a run and the lowest ERA by a starter in program history. Following the season, Josh Uhen was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round, making him the highest-drafted player in program history and the fourth Panther pitcher to be selected in three seasons.
The pitching staff in 2012, set a program mark for the second-straight year in the ERA category, with the 3.73 ERA bettering the previous mark by nearly half a run. The staff had the top two leaders in strikeouts and three of the top seven in ERA, with first-team all-league selection Cale Tassi at 2.74 - the second-lowest for a starter in program history. In addition, two players - Jordan Guth (Philadelphia Phillies; ninth round) and Eric Semmelhack (Milwaukee Brewers; 12th round) - were selected in the 2012 MLB Draft while Kaleb Engelke also signed a professional contract.
Milwaukee finished second in the league in ERA and was first in strikeouts in 2011, with Chad Pierce earning Horizon League Pitcher of the Year honors before being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2011 MLB Draft. It was a record-breaking season overall for the staff, as the team ERA was the lowest in program history to that point. The strikeout total broke the school record, as did the six shutouts that were thrown in 2011.
The Panthers led the Horizon League in ERA in 2010 and went 4-1 in the league tournament, riding strong pitching to the championship. The team recorded a 2.66 ERA in the five games, limiting opponents to just a .247 batting average.
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. Following the 1994 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.
In addition to his credentials as a pitching coach, Bigler has also served as the coordinator and instructor of the Bigler Baseball Summer Camps for over 10 years. The Bigler Summer Camps feature instruction on all aspects of the game.
Bigler and his wife, Marci, reside in Brookfield with their three children: daughters Emery and Peyton, and son Brooks.
