South Bend Cubs Gameday Program - June 2023

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JAMES TRIANTOS HAS TURNED FROM HIGH SCHOOL PHENOM TO A TOP CUBS PROSPECT

By: Max Thoma

“It was a great day. I was getting to play with all my friends from high school that I’d grown up with, we’d been playing together since we were 7 years old and that was the last time we were going to get to play together,” said James Triantos. “So it wasn’t really nerves taking up the emotion it was just appreciating this last moment we all get to spend together. And making the most of it because there’s no point in being nervous when you’re with all your friends just having fun.”

Triantos is incredibly grounded for a 20-year-old and loves to talk about how much he loves getting to play the game of baseball along his friends. The above quote was his answer when I asked him about the high school state championship game he played in back as a senior at James Madison High School in Virginia.

I wanted to get a response about his performance, single-handedly willing his team to victory on a night I’m sure many

will never forget. What I got instead was quintessential James Triantos: a selfless response of a kid who in his bones just wants to be out there on the diamond with his buddies as long as he can.

The Chicago Cubs current number 11 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, finished his high school career with one of the best seasons anyone maybe ever has had. There’s video game numbers, and then there’s what James Triantos did in 2021.

In a season that will go down in the history book as one of the best in Virginia state history, the then shortstop batted over .700, breaking the singleseason school record with 11 homers, and he only struck out twice the entire season.

Oh and he pitched too.

The undersized right-hander dominated to the tune of a 9-0 record with a 1.18 ERA on the mound and a fastball that clocking in the mid-90s.

I remember when I was in high school we had a centerfielder who was a bit undersized too, he batted just about .300 as a senior in high school and was drafted in the second round by the Saint Louis Cardinals. Triantos had just batted over .700!

Like a Hollywood script, he saved his best for last.

James Triantos pitching in the Virgina Class 6 state championship.

Credit: John Kenny/James Madison High.

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In the state semis Triantos got the ball on the mound and threw 6.1 innings of shutout baseball – not too shabby. But then he implored his head coach to give him the ball again the state championship, his coach obliged.

a complete game to get the victory, allowing one run on the mound and scoring two runs himself on the other side.

The Chicago Cubs had a couple scouts in the crowd that night and with the 56th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Chicago selected the young phenom from Fairfax, Virginia.

“I was at home with my parents and two of my best friends just watching the draft and as I was on the phone talking with the Cubs about the next pick, one of my buddies walked in and started screaming about me potentially getting picked by the Giants, because he’s a big Giants fan,” Triantos said. “Everyone was like shut up he’s on the phone. I was extremely happy, gave my dad a big hug, gave my mom a big hug.”

Triantos then went out and did what he always did, wowed the crowd and left fans with a story so great they would be sharing it for many years to come.

Serving in the leadoff spot, Triantos scored the first run of the night after he had singled his first time up. His next time up, he homered.

But the pitching performance was actually more dominant, and frankly other-worldly.

The young righty sat down the side in order in the first, second, and third inning. Then he repeated that feat in the fourth, fifth, and sixth. All of sudden the teenager is just two outs from a perfect game on the biggest stage he’s played in. He would give up a home run to end the perfect game but would toss

Triantos had reclassified and committed to go play college baseball at the University of North Carolina. He told me his parents were stressed about the draft process but that in his mind he just wanted to keep playing baseball and everything else would take care of itself.

A second round selection and a $2.1 million signing bonus later and James Triantos was going to play professional baseball.

Triantos up to bat in his first series with the South Bend Cubs.

Credit: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Triantos after being selected by the Chicago Cubs in the second round.

Credit: James Triantos.

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MLB.com writes of him, “Triantos’ bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate have prompted comparisons to Alex Bregman and David Wright.”

In the Arizona Complex League, with the Cubs rookie affiliate, Triantos batted .327 with an OPS of .970. In just 25 games he launched six homers and drove in 19.

The following year he’s join a full season affiliate and play a whole season of Minor League Baseball for the first time.

Baseball seasons have many ups and downs, and it’s no different when you’re just a teenager playing in the Carolina League in Low-A.

In 2022 Triantos batted .272 and in 113 games he only homered seven times. But the Pelicans home ballpark is notoriously difficult for hitters, recently we’ve seen Owen Caissie and Matt Mervis go from struggling in Myrtle at the plate to flourishing for multiple affiliates at higher levels.

But the biggest takeaways for Triantos from that first full season were on the mental side.

That was on full display when he joined South Bend this season, where two-and-a-half weeks into his season he was batting .375 with one line strikeout.

Playing second base exclusively so far this year, it seems fitting who Triantos looked up to as a kid.

“Dustin Pedroia when I was younger, because I was never the biggest kid growing up. I didn’t hit my growth spurt until a little later, so I thought I wanted to be like him. He plays the game hard,” Triantos said to me during a conversation in the Cubs home dugout at Four Winds Field.

But he emphasized the fact that he wants to be his own player, with his own energy and swag.

Well the player he was in high school was incredible and in a 25-game sample in 2021 in the minors, it was just the same old story and same old talent we’d been reading about.

“I’d say that it’s a process of getting better it’s not one day to the next results based,” he said. “Just focusing on what

James Triantos stops and signs a baseball for a fan before the game on May 25.

Credit: Chris Hagstrom-Jones.

Triantos throwing to first during one of two Memorial Day weekend games.

Credit: Ethan Levy.

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I’m doing and how that’s going to help me in the long run as opposed to just right now. And developing routines, that’s extremely important because that’s where my confidence comes from, in my routines rather than my results. That’s a big thing for me.”

The bashful kid from Virginia trusts his body and he trusts his process. If you build and develop a routine and trust yourself, success will follow, that’s the Triantos way.

Unfortunately 2023 would not get off to the start he had envisioned.

“We were playing a simulated game right before a spring training game started,” the 20-year-old told me. “I stole a bag, didn’t really think much of it, scored, and kept playing the rest of the game. Woke up the next morning and my knee was kind of swollen… I just couldn’t run on it, it was really bothering me. So they made me go get an MRI and I found out that I’d torn my meniscus.”

Spring training injuries are difficult for minor league guys. It’s a slow start out of the gate to a year of development and working to get better and reach higher. It also means you have to watch as everyone else, your teammates, friends, guys you were drafted with, get assigned to affiliates and go begin their season.

But Triantos is a glass-half-full kind of guy.

“You know it sucked but a lot of good came from it. I was able to work on myself, I had a lot of time to myself, just to develop and get right mentally, better myself. Everything happens for a reason you just got to make the most of it.”

He knows he has a job to do. He wants to be great and is aware of how much work it’ll take to get there.

After surgery and a successful rehab,

Triantos was sent to South Bend and activated on the roster on May 9. Many prognosticators think he’s due for a breakout season in a much more hitterfriendly setting with a whole season of experience now under his belt.

Many players come through South Bend on their Minor League Baseball journeys and sometimes it’s clear that certain guys are going to be beloved by the fans here. I would put Triantos in that category, he’s always signing autographs, smiling, enjoying himself, but reserved and mature between the lines.

You sometimes have to just step back and remember he’s only 20-years-old. He’s got bat-to-ball skills scouts dream of seeing, a fantastic arm, deceiving power, and soft hands defensively.

Right now, he’s also still just enjoying the ride.

“I just want to keep playing as best as I can and I’m just extremely happy to be able to be with my friends right now playing baseball. Having it taken away from you makes you appreciate it that much more. So I’m just happy to be out here with my friends playing the best sport in the world.”

Triantos rounding second to advance to third off a wild pitch.

Credit: Ethan Levy.

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RAWHIDE AND PIGSKIN

SOUTH BEND CUBS RIGHTY CONNOR NOLAND HAS LIVED HIS DREAM BOTH ON THE MOUND AND GRIDIRON

By: Brendan King

On October 20, 2018 as a truefreshman at the University of Arkansas, South Bend Cubs right-handed pitcher Connor Noland prepared for his first career start on a Saturday afternoon. Getting set to face the University of Tulsa, Noland had prepared all week for the game action, especially getting his arm strength ready to go. The only thing was, this start was not on a baseball diamond, not even anything baseball related. He was hitting the gridiron, as the starting quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Noland, who of course has now pursued a career of professional baseball, committed to the Razorbacks as a dual-sport athlete to play both baseball and football. Just like around here at Notre Dame when Jeff Samardzija or Golden Tate played both sports. The only thing with Noland that was different from those guys, is he was the QB, not wide receivers.

The sacrifice to take on a commitment like that isn’t very easy to comprehend. All the hours not only on the practice field for both sports, but also watching tape, working out, preparing for opponents, and not to mention your school work. But that’s who Connor Noland is. A workhorse. And he was ready for the opportunity to lead the Razorbacks both on the mound and in the pocket.

“I was pretty much only doing football in the fall and then going to baseball in January,” Noland said. “That first year was all football from the summer until January 1, but then I walked right over to baseball after that. The challenge was doing spring football and baseball at the same time. It was a struggle to start.”

On any given day in the Spring, Noland would attend any and all classes, go to football meetings and practice, followed by going to the baseball building and focusing on who the Razorbacks were playing next on the diamond. What he came to find is that he possessed the mental fortitude to do something like that. But eventually, a decision of Noland’s future would have to be made.

“Both the baseball and football coaches communicated but I would still have to pop back-and-forth to practices and do those at the same time,” Noland said. “The school did a great job with a flexible schedule.”

This game of hot potato between sports lasted for Noland’s freshman year. His first and only start against Tulsa on that sunny October day in Fayetteville created a lasting memory that he still reminisces on to this day. The Arkansas starter was injured, and Noland’s number was called.

Noland, from the nearby Arkansas town of Greenwood, was an All-State high school

Connor Noland during one of his outing for the University of Arkansas. Credit: Arkansas Athletics.

... continued from previous page. quarterback and pitcher. On the gridiron though, he lead Greenwood High School to a 13-0 record and a 6A state title his senior year. That kind of experience allowed him to go against Tulsa with no issue. In his first and only college start, Noland delivered a shutout performance for the Hogs as Arkansas crushed them 23-0 for their first shutout in over four years. Noland threw for 124 yards with a touchdown and forever has that on his permanent record.

also was noteworthy. As a true freshman, Noland posted a very respectable 4.02 ERA in 20 games with 55 strikeouts. The strikeout numbers ultimately helped him sway to baseball.

“After my sophomore year of high school my velocity picked up and I started getting some more attention on the baseball side,” Noland said. “So that’s when I had the idea of doing both and maybe I’m not just a football guy. It was mainly football over baseball in high school. Our school was known for football and that’s actually the sport I got my first offer in.”

The decision was eventually made, and Noland would go to baseball full time. As he was ready to lead the Arkansas pitching staff following his good freshman year appetizer, Noland’s usage with the Hogs dropped for the next two years. The main reason? The pandemic.

The hometown Hog appeared in three other games in a back-up role for Arkansas that year, with two of the games coming on the road in the SEC versus Mississippi State and Missouri.

At some point through all of this though, baseball clicked. As he tried to balance spring football and baseball, Noland’s freshman year on the mound with the Razorbacks

COVID-19 hit at the wrong time for Noland coming off that freshman campaign. Due to the pandemic, Noland only threw in three total starts his sophomore year, and be it, all outings were terrific. He had a 2.00 ERA in those three games. But with the pandemic, came things changing. Noland’s junior year, he was only used out of the bullpen, and his ERA went up to over 6.00.

Something had to change. And the rise back into the Hogs rotation starting with his off-season work, ironically, with a familiar face now into his pro career. During Noland’s time in Fayetteville, the Arkansas baseball strength and conditioning coach was Blaine

Noland suited up as quarterback for the Razorbacks in their game against University of North Texas. Credit: Otis Kirk, KNWA.

... continued from previous page.

Kinsley. Since September of 2022, Kinsley has been the Director of Strength & Conditioning and Performance Nutrition with the Chicago Cubs.

Kinsley isn’t the only familiar face that Noland is working with in pro ball either. But more on that later. Together, Kinsley and Noland developed a plan that worked for the off-season, and away they went.

Eventually the time came to embark on his senior season. And Noland was ready. He delivered, and then some. In the same amount of games he pitched as a freshman, Noland posted a 3.65 ERA in 20 games as a senior and won eight ballgames for the Hogs. He struck out 113 batters in 116 innings. He was the only SEC pitcher to throw 100 or more innings, and the only Razorback to have 100-plus strikeouts.

On an unusually warm evening in early April, Noland sets to deliver the first pitch of the home opener at Four Winds Field.

Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly.

Lights’ story. All those miles covered had him keep the exact same end goal, one that he knew he could attain when he became a teenager.

“My last year when I played summer ball in Reno I played with the local varsity team out there when I was 14,” Noland said. “I traveled around with them and got my first taste of higher level baseball. That helped me figure out if I keep at it I could have a chance at making it.”

As a 14-year-old playing with varsity players, that means Noland was pitching to hitters often times four years older than him. He began his career as a youngster as a catcher behind the plate, which Noland says can help give a pitcher an appreciation for what they do on the mound when they know what it takes to be behind the plate.

From that point, enter the Chicago Cubs. Jed Hoyer and his team decided to take Noland with their 9th-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft.

The selection by the Cubs helped Noland realize a dream that covered many different stops as a kid. His family moved around quite a bit, starting in Greenwood, Arkansas, then Tampa, Florida, followed by a short stay in Reno, Nevada, and then back to Greenwood where he lived out his own ‘Friday Night

Eventually at Arkansas, Noland would meet someone that has had a large effect on him through his pro career. His South Bend Cubs teammate Casey Opitz. As Opitz has been a Chicago Cubs prospect for a similar amount of time, Noland and Opitz have had a similar trajectory together. Up until the last week of May, Opitz caught ever single one of Noland’s pro starts, much like college.

You don’t often see a Minor League pitcher have a personal catcher, but it’s

Noland during his second start of Opening Week at Four Winds Field.

Credit: Casey McDonald.

SOUTH BEND

... continued from previous page.

different when a battery combination is as tight as those two.

“Having him is awesome especially that we have both him and (Ethan) Hearn, “Noland said. “You know that no matter who is behind the plate it’s going to be solid. But having Opi, it’s our fourth year working together. Having that familiarity with each other is huge and when he puts down a call for a pitch, I almost never shake it off. It makes it easy on me.”

Opitz is one of the best defensive catchers and game managers in the Midwest League. And his game calling has helped Noland excel early. His first pro start came in the home opener of 2022 versus the Beloit Sky Carp, where he did not walk a batter and struck out seven in four innings of one run baseball.

The command for the first year hurler is what stands out most. Noland did not pitch in an organized professional game after being selected last year. When he got to South Bend, the lights turned on and he took the hill. The end of May was especially elite, as over three starts from May 4 through May 16, Noland didn’t walk a batter over 12.2 combined innings. He added 12 strikeouts to that total as well.

“Being able to focus on our bullpen sessions and commanding the ball is huge,” Noland said. “Also working with Morty (pitching coach Clayton Mortensen) has been a big help in making little mental notes as you go along through the game. It’s an ultimate respect thing where he has been

there and done everything being in the Big Leagues. He has an answer for pretty much everything and he makes it easy to apply things to our own game.”

The Chicago Cubs invested into the well of dominant college baseball arms with their selection of Noland. As he continues to get more-and-more comfortable on the mound in pro baseball, the more dominant he will get.

After all, starting the home opener of a baseball season for your first professional start can be a lot of pressure for some. But maybe the ease of relaxing in tense moments can be more manageable for a guy who put on a helmet and ran out of SEC football tunnels before leading the Arkansas Razorbacks under center.

PITCHERS

BRANDON BIRDSELL

MANUEL ESPINOZA

RICHARD GALLARDO

CADE HORTON

ADAM LASKEY

ZAC LEIGH

CATCHERS

CONNOR NOLAND

EDUARNIEL NUNEZ

SHELDON REED

TYLER SANTANA

SAM THORESEN

DIDER VARGAS

CHASE WATKINS

JAROD WRIGHT

DAVID AVITIA

ETHAN HEARN

INFIELDERS

BRYCE BALL KEVIN MADE

FABIAN PERTUZ

LIAM SPENCE

OUTFIELDERS

JAMES TRIANTOS

CASEY OPITZ

EZEQUIEL PAGAN

LUIS

VERDUGO

JOE NAHAS

FRANKIE SCALZO JR.

KEVIN ALCANTARA

CHRISTIAN FRANKLIN

YOHENDRICK PINANGO JACOB WETZEL

D.J. ARTIS

2023 SOUTH BEND CUBS COACHING STAFF

Lance Rymel - Manager

Rymel returns for year two as Manager of the South Bend Cubs. In 2021 he was the Rookie League Mesa Cubs Manager. Later that year, he managed the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League and won the league title. This will be his eighth season as a coach or manager in the Cubs organization, where he also managed Single-A Eugene in 2019 following two seasons at the helm of the Cubs Dominican Summer League squad in 2017-18. Rymel began his coaching career in 2016 following a three-year minor league playing career as a catcher in the Cubs system from 2012-14. Rymel was selected by the Cubs in the 28th round of the 2012 Draft out of Rogers State.

Clayton Mortensen - Pitching Coach

Mortensen spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the pitching coach for Low-A Myrtle Beach and will begin his third season in the Cubs organization. Mortensen spent 2019 as the Pitching Coach for the Idaho Falls Chukars of the Pioneer League where his team won the 2019 Pioneer League championship. Mortensen was drafted by St. Louis in the first round (36th) of the 2007 draft and spent five years in Major League Baseball playing for St. Louis, Oakland, Colorado, and Boston.

Dan Puente - Hitting Coach

Puente returns as the hitting coach for South Bend. This marks Puente’s fourth season in the Cubs farm system. In 2021, Puente was the hitting coach for low-A Myrtle Beach. He has been a hitting and catching instructor at Elite Baseball Training since 2012, a technology-infused baseball and softball instructional company created by the Cubs Director of Hitting Justin Stone. Puente also served as an associate scout for the Houston Astros and from 2008-12 was the Manager of Youth Baseball Initiatives for the White. Sox. A former catcher, he was selected by Baltimore in the 12th round of the 2004 Draft and played two minor league seasons.

D’Angelo Jiménez - Bench Coach

D’Angelo Jiménez will continue to serve as the bench coach for the South Bend Cubs. He previously held the role of hitting coach for the DSL Cubs in 2021 and this will be his sixth season overall in the organization. Jiménez came up with the Yankees as a player and spent eight years playing in the MLB from 1999 to 2007, appearing with seven different teams. Primarily a Second Baseman, Jiménez would spend time at shortstop and third base.

Nick Roberts Athletic Trainer

Kelcey Mosley

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Celebrate Summer Downtown South Bend

JUNE

June 1: Pride Kicko Party at The Lauber

June 2: DTSB First Fridays: Kids’ Night Out

June 2: SJCPL Summer Reading Club Kicko Event

June 3: Sunburst Races*

June 3: Artopia: A Wonderland of Art, Music, & Theatre (Stockroom East)*

June 4: U93’s Operation Duck Drop (East Race)*

June 8: Shortcakes on the Blacktop

June 9: Pulse FM’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Movie Screening (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

June 10: Alzheimer’s and Dementia Services Stand by Me Walk (Howard Park)*

June 10: East Race Whitewater Festival*

June 10: DTSB Outdoor Film Series (Gridiron)

June 12: Back to the Bricks Promo Tour

June 13: African American Legacy Award Juneteenth Luncheon (History Museum)*

June 16-July 2: Guys & Dolls (South Bend Civic Theatre)*

June 17-18: Leeper Park Art Fair

June 23-24: John Mellencamp Live and in Person (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

June 24: Bacon Around the Bend 5K (Family Justice Center)*

June 24-25: Dino Weekend (Four Winds Field)*

June 25: The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

June 30: Symphony Under the Stars (Howard Park)

JULY

July 1: Blackstreet and Ginuwine (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

July 4: Independence Day Celebration (Four Winds Field)*

July 7: DTSB First Fridays: Backyard BBQ

July 7: Meet Me on the Island (Century Center Island)*

July 8: Concours d’Elegance at Copshaholm*

July 8: DTSB Outdoor Film Series (Gridiron)

July 11-16: Mural Mania

July 14: Pulse FM’s “A Night of Laughter” featuring Michael Jr, with special guests Brad Stine and John Branyan (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

July 17-23: International Jugglers’ Association Festival*

July 20: United Way of St. Joseph County Campaign Kicko (Howard Park)

July 22-23: Superhero Weekend (Four Winds Field)*

July 28: Music in the Gardens (History Museum)*

July 29: Vibes Music Festival*

AUGUST

August 4: DTSB First Fridays: Totally 80s

August 5: Michiana Gospel Fest (Howard Park)

August 11: Meet Me on the Island (Century Center Island)

August 11-27: Classics in the Courtyard (Pfeil Family Courtyard, SJC Public Library)*

August 12: Michiana Music Festival featuring Smash Mouth with special guests LFO and Ryan Cabrera (Four Winds Field)*

August 17: Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell Tour (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

August 19: DTSB Art Beat’s 20th Anniversary – Presented by

August 26: “Rock the Pink” Concert benefiting the Susan G. Koman Foundation (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

SEPTEMBER

September 1: DTSB First Fridays: Dog Days of Summer

September 1: Beyond the Yard (Howard Park)

September 9-10: Fusion Fest (Howard Park)

September 9-10: The Color Purple (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

September 16: Recover Michiana Fest (Howard Park)

September 23: Out of the Darkness Community Walk (Howard Park)*

September 30: South Bend Symphony Orchestra: Silk Road + Strauss w/ Joseph Gramley (Morris Performing Arts Center)*

EVENT SERIES

Downtown South Bend Architecture Walking Tours*:

May 5 – October 6 (First Fridays)

Howard Park Summer Concert Series:

May 5 – September 1 (First Fridays)

Yoga for EveryBODY: May 8 – September 27 (Monday - Wednesday)

Cars & Co ee at the Studebaker National Museum:

May 13 - October 14 (Second Saturday of the month, minus July)

Purple Porch Co-op Market: May 31 – September 27 (Wednesdays)

Latin Dance at Ironhand*: May 31 – September 27 (Wednesdays)

Fridays by the Fountain: June 2 - August 25 (Fridays)

East Race Rafting*: June 3 - September 17 (Saturdays and Sundays)

DTSB Summer Fitness Series: June 10 - August 26 (Saturdays, excluding August 19 for Art Beat)

South Bend Cubs Fireworks Series*: June 7, June 9, June 23, July 4, July 7, July 21, August 4, August 25, September 8, September 9

Wednesday Wine Walks*: June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13 (second Wednesdays)

Howard Park Movie Nights: June 16, July 21, August 18

Summer Restaurant Weeks : July 24 - August 6

*These events may require tickets or advance registration.

Presented By Downtown South Bend

A Family Affair

CASEY OPITZ GOT HIS LOVE OF THE GAME WATCHING HIS TWO OLDER BROTHERS

By Max Thoma

Casey Opitz grew up surrounded by the game of baseball. In his hometown of Littleton, Colorado, the current South Bend Cubs catcher didn’t have to look too far to find a pair of role models that would help facilitate his baseball journey, from first falling in love with the game to now playing it at a professional level.

“My two brothers, easily.” Opitz said when I asked him who influenced his life the most in baseball at an early age. “That’s’ really the only baseball I ever saw. We’d travel to different states to see my middle brother play or travel to Lincoln, Nebraska and watch my oldest bother play every weekend. That’s the baseball I saw, that’s the reason I fell in love with the game, just being around them. Going through all the ups and downs that baseball comes with it just has brought us so much love and enjoyment; it’s brought my entire family closer.”

Casey’s oldest brother, Jake, is 12 years older and was drafted in the 39th round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the

Seattle Mariners. He elected to go the college route instead and played at the University of Nebraska. That decision paid of tremendously because four years later he had skyrocketed to a 12th round selection by the Chicago Cubs.

Jake’s career in pro baseball spanned from 2008 to 2015, and the versatile infielder actually played in the Midwest League and even for the AA Tennessee Smokies in 2010.

Next along was the middle Opitz brother, Shane, a shortstop selected in the 10th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010. Shane forwent college and went straight to the minors. Shane would go on to play 607 games in Minor League Baseball, with 145 of those games coming at the AAA level in his final two year in 2017 and 2018.

Shane went into coaching where he’s been an assistant at Northern Colorado, an infield coach at Stetson, and in 2021 actually was on the Arkansas Razorbacks staff as a Graduate Manager, with his little brother Casey the senior starting catcher.

That 2021 Arkansas team was special. The Hogs went 50-13, winning the SEC regular season, the SEC Tournament, and spending the majority of the season at the No. 1 team in the entire country.

Casey was a team captain on a squad considered to be the best in the country

Casey Opitz behind the plate for the University of Arkansas. Credit: Arkansas Athletics.

... continued from previous page.

until they fell in a Super Regional. But those years at Arkansas, and all the ups and downs and relationships built along the way, are never too far away from 24-year-old.

That’s because this year when the South Bend Opening Day roster was announced, it included a teammate of Casey’s for three years – Connor Noland. Not only were they teammates for three years but virtually every time that Noland took the mound in an Arkansas uniform, Opitz was behind the plate.

On top of that, on April 25 Christian Franklin earned a promotion from Low-A Myrtle Beach. Franklin, too, was a threeyear teammate of Opitz in college.

“It’s been crazy, you know the South Bend Razorbacks is what we’re starting to call it,” Opitz said. “It’s been awesome just being able to have that connection with those guys already and we’ve seen

2021 and four rounds later Opitz heard his name called by the same Chicago Cubs. Three college teammates on the same minor league team is crazy, I’ve personally never seen it in my career. Even seeing two teammates line up as opponents is rare.

Not only that, there may not be a

each other all go through struggles and we know what it’s like. Just being able to help them through that and them help me through that or whatever it may be is so important to have. It’s always fun when you see a familiar face and go through the process with them.”

There’s a certain level of calmness that being so incredibly familiar with teammates can bring. Franklin was taken in the fourth round of the draft in

more experienced battery in High-A than Noland and Opitz.

“We’ve done it with 10,000 fans in the stands, more than that even,” Opitz said with a big smile adorned on his face. “When you get to that point you’ve seen a guy struggle, and that’s big for me because you then learn how to get a guy back on track. It’s super fun being back there, Noland is a guy who’s super consistent, never going to get down after a bad outing or a walk or anything. He’s never going to get too high either. He’s just going to stay consistent and that’s the energy I try to bring back there to help facilitate things.”

Much like his older brother, Casey was drafted out of Heritage High

Connor Noland and Casey Opitz go in for a high five after warmups.

Credit: Casey McDonald.

Opitz up to bat at Four Winds Field. Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly.

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School but went to play collegiately. A 27th round pick by the then Cleveland Indians in 2017 blossomed into a Cubs 8th round pick four years later.

As a rookie he played in 19 games: one in Arizona with the Cubs rookie affiliate, 16 in Low-A Myrtle Beach, and two games in Triple-A Iowa. All told in 19 games the switch-hitting catcher registered a .250 batting average and a crazy good .400 on-base percentage thanks to garnering 14 walks.

to have a manager that’s been through the grind back there, understands the ups and the downs that come with it,” Opitz said. “It’s big versus someone who doesn’t know the catching life, it’s a different life. It’s a completely different life, more of a grind than anything but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You know you’re always involved in every decision, whether it’s a win or a loss you can always put it on your shoulders and that’s what I love about it.”

After breaking late from Spring Training and joining South Bend at the end of May in 2022, Opitz has been with the Cubs High-A affiliate ever since. Being a catcher is unlike any other position in baseball. He’s got to know every pitcher, what they throw, how they throw, what to say or do when one guy is struggling versus another, and do all of that while also having to bat and know the scouting report of the pitchers he’s facing at the plate.

One of the great things about going through the Cubs system as a catcher though is that three of the four full season affiliates (and the Chicago Cubs Manager David Ross) have former catchers serving as managers. That includes South Bend Cubs manager Lance Rymel.

“You know he’s huge, just being able

Casey is learning under the tutelage of a former Cubs prospect in Rymel, he’s got a pair of teammates from college who have been through it all together, and he’s got a couple of older brothers he talks to just about every single day.

It’s not hard to understand why Opitz, the man, is so incredibly full of life and shows such a positive demeanor. He brings the same attitude to the ballpark every day, no matter his struggles or the team struggles. Over a grueling 132-game schedule, plus the grind of

Opitz walking off with reliever Chase Watkins. Credit: Kayleigh Sedlacek.

Opitz behind the plate ready for the pitch to be delivered. Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly.

Spring Training, Casey Opitz is almost unapologetically positive.

He knows when is the proper time for a dose of his boundless humor and when is the time for seriousness and leadership.

Opitz told me that wherever he goes he wants to be a leader. He was a captain at Arkansas and now as a returner to the organization with a ton of High-A experience, he’s helping guide a new collection of Cubs arms in their development, and his own in turn.

be, that’s huge,” he said.

A switch-hitting catcher is such a luxury to have, especially when they’re as gifted and as fundamentally sound as Opitz is. Casey has the chance to be the first of his brothers to make it to the MLB, and if he does it’ll be a surreal moment for his family who have played such a major factor in his career.

His brothers Shane and Jake were born be around the game of baseball, and so was their youngest brother.

“What else would you rather be doing. Everyone talks about the grind but when you look at it, I don’t think I could handle being behind a desk, I don’t think that’s for me. I want to be out there with the guys, it’s something new every day. When you take a step back and look at how blessed we are to be in this situation, playing a sport professionally where people come out and get a break from their lives to yell at us for nine innings, it’s super cool to be able to be in this spot. I will never take it for granted.”

When it comes to catching some of the best arms in all of Minor League Baseball, like Opitz has gotten to do in his time in South Bend, it really does go a long way in advancing his own skill behind the dish.

“Iron sharpens iron. You have guys that’re going to be big leaguers and just being able to get with them now and get with them early and hone my craft whether it’s receiving, blocking, throwing, pitch calling, whatever it may

Opitz giving the signal to the pitcher.

Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly.

Opitz playing first base at Four Winds Field. Credit: Casey McDonald.