COACHING STAFF

CHRIS COSTE

MANAGER

Chris Coste returns to the RedHawks for his fifth season as full-time manager in 2025.

The Fargo native was officially named the fourth manager in RedHawks history on April 21, 2021 after serving as the team’s interim manager during the 2020 season. He previously served in the team’s hitting coach and bench coach roles during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, respectively.

After securing the RedHawks’ first AAPB playoff series victory in 2021, he led the team the team to their first American Association championship and sixth league title in 2022. Their 64-36 regular-season finish was the organization’s best record in a decade.

Coste, a Concordia College graduate, pitched and played third base for the Cobbers from 1993 to 1995. He earned three consecutive All-American awards and still holds the school record for career batting average and ERA. Coste helped the Cobbers win the MIAC championship in 1995 and finish second at the NCAA Midwest Regional. He was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

He started his professional career in 1995 playing for the Brainerd Bears in the North Central League and the Brandon Grey Owls in the Prairie League. He played for the RedHawks from the team’s start in 1996 until 1999. Coste had a .322 batting average with 429 hits, 44 home runs and 221 RBIs in 335 games with the RedHawks and won a Northern League title in 1998.

In 1999, Coste was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates but was released after spring training and returned to the RedHawks. His contract was purchased by Cleveland in 2000, and he spent six seasons in the minor leagues before making his MLB Debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on May 26, 2006 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Coste won a World Series championship with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 and became the first player from the MIAC to win a World Series ring. All in all, Coste appeared in 299 Major League Baseball games combined between the Phillies and Houston Astros and had a career MLB average of .272.

Following his retirement as a player, Coste served as an in-studio analyst on Comcast SportsNet, appearing on the Phillies pregame and postgame shows. In 2017, Coste led the West Fargo Patriots American Legion team to a state tournament berth.

Coste has also written two books that chronicle his experiences in professional baseball from the Northern League all the way to the World Series: “Hey… I’m Just the Catcher: An Inside Look at a Northern League Season From Behind the Plate,” published in 1997 and “The 33-Year-Old Rookie: How I Finally Made it to the Big Leagues After Eleven Years in the Minors.” The book, which chronicles Coste’s first season in the majors, contains a foreword by John Kruk.

anthony renz

BENCH COACH

Anthony Renz enters his eighth season on the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks staff in 2025.

A 2015 magna cum laude graduate of Mansfield University, Renz earned his bachelor of science in electronic media while achieving minors in public relations and business. He also completed his master of science degree in communications and media studies at Shippensburg University.

Renz was a three-year baseball captain with the Mountaineers. On the diamond, Renz was a .304 hitter, totaling 19 home runs and 101 RBIs over a four-year career. As a senior, Renz was an All-PSAC Eastern Division First Team and All-Region performer who hit .357 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs while ranking ninth in the conference with 14 doubles.

Following his graduation in 2015, Renz signed a professional contract with the Las Vegas Train Robbers of the Pecos League. He later moved to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association before settling in with the Evansville Otters in the Frontier League.

robbie lopez

BULLPEN COACH

Robbie Lopez enters his 23rd season with the RedHawks in 2025.

He originally joined the RedHawks in 2001 as a bullpen catcher and worked for the club through the 2010 season. Lopez worked home games for the RedHawks during the 2013 season before going back to full-time duty in 2014. He has also served as the RedHawks emergency catcher and appeared in three games in his long tenure with the club.

He was a college coach for the MSU-Moorhead Dragons club baseball team from 2004-2007 before leaving to become an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Dakota State (SD) University from 2007-2009. After relocating to California, Lopez coached with the NorCal Grizzlies travel baseball program in the Oakland area, and also coached at St. Mary’s High School in Berkeley, CA in 2011.

Lopez grew up in West Fargo, ND and played Legion baseball for the West Fargo Aces and West Fargo Patriots. He played college baseball at Dickinson (ND) State University and the University of South Dakota and also attended Mayville (ND) State University. He was a two-time NDCAC All-Conference honorable mention selection at DSU as a freshman and sophomore.

jeff bittiger

PLAYER PERSONNEL CONSULTANT

Jeff Bittiger is the player personnel consultant for the F-M RedHawks and has been with the team either as a player, coach or consultant since 1996. A native of Jersey City, NJ, Jeff was drafted in the 7th round by the New York Mets in the 1980 MLB Draft. Originall drafted as a third baseman, Bittiger was converted to a full-time pitcher in 1981 and was in the Mets farm system until New York traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1986. he started 3 games for the Phillies and hit a home run in his first at bat. In April of 1987, Bittiger was signed by the Minnesota Twins at first as a starting pitcher and later as a middle reliever. After winning the 1987 World Series with the Twins, Jeff was signed by the Chicago White Sox the following year and played in the White Sox organization until being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989.

From 1990 to 1993, Bittiger played in the minor leagues for the Dodgers, Indians, Royals and Athletics. In 1993, he joined the Rochester Aces, an independent team in the Northern League and manager Doug Simunic. Bittiger would play 2 seasons in the Northern League before signing with Oakland and playing for the Edmonton Trappers in the Pacific Coast League. In 1995, Jeff returned to the Northern League and signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes and former skipper Doug Simunic, where Jeff went 8-5 in 20 games and helping the Goldeyes win their first league championship.

In 1996, Bittiger would join Simunic and the expansion F-M RedHawks franchise. As a pitcher with Fargo-Moorhead, Bittiger fashioned a 36-12 record with a 3.46 ERA in 77 starts (393.1 innings) from 1996-2002. His best season came in 1998, when he tied a league record for victories with a 12-1 record and a 1.94 ERA in 16 starts and led the RedHawks to the championship. That year he was selected as the Northern League’s “Star of Stars” (by Howe Sportsdata), was named to pitch in the Northern League All-Star game as tabbed to the Northern League Post-Season All-Star team. In 2000, Bittiger was named Baseball America’s Independent Player of the Decade for the 1990’s.During his RedHawks career, Bittiger would go on to set many team and league records and currently holds the team record for lowest career ERA at 3.46. Along with pitching for the RedHawks, Bittiger was also the team’s pitching coach and did both until his retirement in 2002. He would stay on a as the club’s pitching coach in 2003 and became a team consultant in 2004.

Bittiger stepped aside as the RedHawks pitching coach and become a scout for the Oakland Athletics in 2004.

JOE DOMINIAK

BENCH COACH

Joe Dominiak joins the RedHawks in 2025 for his first season with the club, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in baseball.

Most recently, Dominiak served as the hitting coach for the Boise Hawks in the Pioneer League. He also has experience in the American Assocation, coaching the Chicago Dogs for three seasons.