QUINCY (WGEM) – A former Quincy University assistant baseball coach has joined the front office of the St. Louis Cardinals as the team continues an overhaul of its minor league system.
Casey Demko, who was a member the Hawks coaching staff from 2020-2022, was named the team’s new minor league infield coordinator last week as the Cardinals continue to rebuild their farm system under the direction of president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
Demko joined the Hawks as a graduate assistant for the 2020-21 season during Josh Rabe’s last year as head coach. During the 2021-22 season, Demko was an assistant coach during Matt Schissel’s first year as head coach.
After leaving QU, Demko spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. There he served as the infield coach, working closely with players to refine their skills in fielding, footwork and situational awareness. His work helped elevate the team’s infield play, earning him recognition as a rising star in player development circles.
During his tenure with the Hawks, Demko coached the nationally-ranked QU defense to its highest fielding percentage and most double plays turned in a season in program history.
“Casey came in as a young guy with us and spent his first two years in college coaching at Quincy. You could tell from day one on campus he had a passion for coaching and especially infield defense,” Schissel said.
“After watching him work with our infielders for two years and watching from a distance now while he’s at Abilene Christian University, it doesn’t surprise me he continues to have success. I anticipate the same succes at the professional level due to his passion for the game of baseball and infield defense. He brings energy to the infield everyday at practice and it shows up on the field.”
Demko’s role as minor league infield coordinator will involve overseeing infield instruction across the Cardinals’ minor league affiliates from Class AAA to the Dominican Summer League. He will work closely with minor league managers and coordinators including Ryan Barba (minor league field coordinator) and Jose Leger (assistant minor league field coordinator/baserunning coordinator), to implement a cohesive development strategy.
The hiring of Demko is part of a broader reshaping of the Cardinals’ player development infrastructure since Bloom arrived more than a year ago.
The organization has made several key additions, including hiring Joe Douglas as director of professional scouting, Jacob Buffa as international scouting director, and three new directors in player development, performance and pitching. These moves reflect Bloom’s vision of modernizing the Cardinals’ approach to scouting and development.
The approach seem to be paying off because after years of ranking anywhere from the middle to the bottom, FanGraphs recently claimed the Cardinals’ farm system No. 1 in all of baseball based on player valuations.
The Cardinals’ goal of building a versatile, defensively sound infield capable of supporting the team’s pitching staff aligns with Demko’s vision. His experience in college baseball also equips him to guide young players through the transition to professional baseball, a critical phase for prospects in the St. Louis organization.
As a player, the Ohio native started his collegiate career in 2015 at Ohio State, playing there until 2017. Then, he spent 2017-2018 at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, and finished his playing career at Coker University in Harrisville, South Carolina, from 2018-2020.
Demko holds a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies from Coker University and a masters of science in educational leadership from QU.
Schissel says it’s important for QU’s program to have good young coaches like Demko and give them some freedom with their positional groups.
“That’s something I learned from Rabe and we continue to do every year. Those guys are learning how to coach as well and we’ve all been there before,” Schissel said.
“I think that’s led to a lot of guys moving on from Quincy and continuing to have success in their coaching careers. We have guys coaching at all different levels in college and now professional baseball who all spent time, or started their careers, at QU.”
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