Charlie was a hard-hitting third baseman who starred for William Jewell College in 1962 and 1963 and helped his team win the league championship both years. In 1963, he led the league in hitting with a .442 average. His slugging percentage was .863. Pilz was named to the All-Conference team and he became the first All-American in the history of William Jewell College. In 2002, he was inducted into the William Jewell College Athletic Hall of Fame.

In the late 1950s, Pilz was a third baseman for McKinley High School, and he was scouted by professional teams. Former Cardinal infielder Jerry Buchek was one of his teammates.

Pilz played third base for the Aubuchon-Dennison American Legion team. He began his baseball career in the Khoury League with Kessler Motors and Ziegenhein.

In 1971, Pilz helped form the Ladue Baseball League, and he was one of the original managers. He remained with Ladue for 13 seasons. In 1984, he became a manager for teams in the Creve Coeur Athletic Association and the Ellisville Athletic Association.

Three years later, Pilz became the manager of the Brentwood American Legion team. During his 22 years with Brentwood, his teams won three American Legion District titles. In 1999, Charlie received the Larry Guelker Memorial Award as American Legion Coach of the Year. Pilz was known as the “Brentwood Factor” because of his tremendous success at Goff-Moll American Legion Post 101. He turned the Brentwood team into a contender. Many of his players advanced to the college ranks and the minor leagues. Pilz left the Brentwood American Legion team in 2009 and coached youth teams in the St. Louis area until 2014.