Metzger Named Baseball Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
7/27/2016 4:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nate Metzger, head coach at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, has been named assistant baseball coach/recruiting coordinator at Wright State University, Raider head coach Jeff Mercer announced Thursday.
Serving as director of athletics and head coach at HCC since 2006, Metzger was a four-time NJCCA Region Coach of the Year while 121 of 135 student-athletes have continued baseball and academic careers at four-year universities, 84 going to Division I programs.
"I could not be more excited to welcome Nate and his family to the “RaiderGang”", said Mercer. "Nate is a man of integrity, a tireless recruiter and an outstanding baseball mind. He will make an immediate and substantial impact on elevating our recruiting footprint nationally and his track record of developing players at a professional level fall directly in line with our program goals. He will be a great asset to our program as we strive to continue producing quality student-athletes that achieve at the highest level."
Metzger will assist Mercer, who recently took over the successful Raider program, with the day to day administrative duties, coach the catchers and assist with the offense.
Over its nine-year history, Heartland Community College baseball has produced 14 All-Americans, five First Team All-Americans, 30 All-Region players, 63 All-MWAC Players, 24 Academic All-Conference selections, 11 Academic All-Americans, three straight Region 24 Tournament Most Valuable Players (2011, 2012, and 2013) and 14 Rawlings Gold Glove award winners.
Heartland baseball players have also accumulated numerous Player of the Year accolades, including four Region 24 Players of the Year (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2016), four straight Mid-West Athletic Conference Pitchers of the Year (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013), three M-WAC Freshmen of the Year (2010, 2011, and 2014), and three M-WAC Players of the Year (2010, 2011, and 2016). Additionally, HCC players have left a huge imprint in the conference as they have swept the M-WAC Player, Pitcher, and Freshman of the Year awards twice (2010, 2011).
Heartland has gone 414-106 with a .800 winning percentage and averaging 46 wins per year under Metzger, while being nationally ranked each year and reaching the NJCAA Division II World Series three times, including a third place finish in 2012 and a fourth place finish in 2013. The Hawks held a #1 national ranking in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
