The Colorado Rockies and the Fresno Grizzlies have something in common, the Fresno State Alumni, Tommy Hopfe. Hopfe made a name for himself at Fresno State and is continuing to further his legacy right here in Fresno.

Hopfe may be in the league now, but his original baseball journey started over a decade ago with the help of his grandfather in his hometown of Bakersfield, Ca.

“My Grandpa played minor league baseball… He is basically a father figure for me and I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” said Hopfe.

His love and adoration for his grandfather guided him down the baseball path while also instilling in him a drive to work hard.

He continued playing baseball throughout his time at Frontier High School, where he was typically found pitching. As a senior he had a batting average of .294, as well as an on base percentage of .567.

Despite his success in high school, Hopfe’s career at Fresno is what really set things in motion for him.

He had a total of 23 career home runs and had a career batting average of .329, with his highest average being .360 during his senior year. Hopfe also pitched in college, with a career earned run average of 4.86.

During his college career he collected a number of “All-Mountain West” Awards. He was awarded Academic All-Mountain West three times, Mountain West Scholar-Athlete twice, along with All-Mountain West First Team, Mountain West All-Tournament Team and Preseason All-Mountain West

Hopfe was also named Mountain West Player of the Week during his senior season.

He was drafted to the Colorado Rockies, in July and was then assigned to the team’s Single-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, shortly after.

When asked about his personal life Hopfe explained that there were several people that he was always working to be better for. He lists his mom, grandfather and girlfriend as a few of those people that push him to work harder.

The work ethic and the passion that Hopfe conveys are things that really shine about him. He was quick to give his knowledge to those who are hoping to pursue their passion in sports.

“If you put the work ethic in and the time into your craft, it’s usually going to go your way at some point,” Hopfe said.

Hopfe talked highly about his best friends that are still playing baseball for Fresno State and says many of them are highly capable of joining him in the league.

“Just be who you are and keep competing. There are a lot of guys on that field that could be at this level and I hope they are. I hope they get that opportunity,” said Hopfe.

He reminisced over his time at Fresno State to talk about some of his favorite moments.

“Winning a Mountain West tournament this year [and] being able to dog pile at San Diego State was probably one of the bigger moments for me,” said Hopfe.

He also said that Senior Day was a great memory for him as he was finally able to get a senior jersey and have a warm send off.

Hopfe is also very fond of the fanbase that has followed him to Downtown Fresno.

The Red Wave is something he describes as his favorite part of continuing his journey in Fresno. He says seeing the support from Fresno State fans at Grizzlies games has been an honor and he describes how nice it has been to see familiar faces at games.

He says the past five years at Fresno have made the city feel like home. From all the support at games to Fresno feeling like a bigger version of his hometown, Bakersfield, has made him feel very comfortable and welcomed.

Hopfe made his minor league debut at the Fresno Grizzlies stadium earlier this month and hit his first minor league home run as well.

“It’s just part of the game. It happens, playing this game for a long time and I got a good pitch to hit and I didn’t miss it, so it’s pretty cool,” said Hopfe on how it felt to hit his first homerun as a Grizzly.

His time with the Grizzlies was brief in 2024, hitting .250 in 10 games with the team with a pair of extra-base hits. He is expected to start the 2025 season in Fresno.

Hopfe says that he hopes to be playing in the Major League five years from now. He does acknowledge that is not fully in his control but he will continue to work hard and be himself every day on and off the field.