Episode 18: Episode 18: Jeff Hetzer

My guest on this episode of Nobody’s Safe w/Brady Laber is Jeff Hetzer the Associate Athletic Director and former head baseball coach at Thomas More University.
“Hetz” got his start growing up on The Westside attending Our Lady of Victory parish and graduating from Elder High School. He played on the Panthers baseball team for head coach Mark Thompson. Thompson had just begun his head coaching career at Elder while Hetzer played for him in the early 1990’s. Thompson was former great player and assistant coach at crosstown rival Western Hills High School.
After high school, Hetz played his first two years of college baseball at Wittenberg University. He was an all-conference second baseman for the Tigers but decided to transfer when you realized who much it costs his parents for him to attend the private Division-III college.
Hetzer transfers closer to home and attends Division-II Northern Kentucky University playing for the late great Bill Aker. Like everyone, Hetz has great stories about his former head coach that are very entertaining. Even though Aker was tough to play for at times, Hetzer gives him credit for being man’s man and treating everyone as an equal which made the players play hard for him.
After his player career was offer, Hetzer stayed on the staff first as a graduate assistant and then as a full-time assistant coach. After four seasons on Aker’s staff, Hetzer was presented the opportunity of a lifetime to become the head coach at Thomas More at the age of 26 years old.
Hetz explains how Aker set him up for the job opportunity for him to move over to Thomas More upon his own retirement after the 2000 season.
Hetzer was not only the head baseball coach at Thomas More but he was also the assistant men’s basketball coach. In early 2004, athletic director and head men’s basketball coach Terry Connor has a precarious situation on his hands when the women’s basketball team is in need of a head coach mid-way through the season. He turns to Hetz who is also beginning his baseball season at the same time.
Hetzer talks about his storied career as the head baseball coach at Thomas More where he won a school record 484 games while making seven NCAA tournament appearances and winning five Presidents Athletic Conference titles.
After the 2019 season, Hetzer was promoted to Associate Athletic Director in charge of facilities and retires as the head baseball coach after 19 seasons. Hetzer was grateful for his time as the baseball coach, embraces the new challenge as an administrator while handing the reigns of the baseball program to his longtime assistant coach Jeremy Martin.
You can follow Brady Laber on Twitter @BradyLaber1 (https://twitter.com/BradyLaber1) please use the hashtag #NobodysSafe
Check out the Nobody’s Safe website at nobodysssafe.fireside.fm (https://nobodysssafe.fireside.fm)
For more information on Stove Leg Media go the website StoveLeg.com (https://www.stoveleg.com) or send an email to [email protected]
Intro music for the podcast was provided by bensoud.com (https://www.bensound.com)

My guest on this episode of Nobody’s Safe w/Brady Laber is Jeff Hetzer the Associate Athletic Director and former head baseball coach at Thomas More University.

“Hetz” got his start growing up on The Westside attending Our Lady of Victory parish and graduating from Elder High School. He played on the Panthers baseball team for head coach Mark Thompson. Thompson had just begun his head coaching career at Elder while Hetzer played for him in the early 1990’s. Thompson was former great player and assistant coach at crosstown rival Western Hills High School.

After high school, Hetz played his first two years of college baseball at Wittenberg University. He was an all-conference second baseman for the Tigers but decided to transfer when you realized who much it costs his parents for him to attend the private Division-III college.

Hetzer transfers closer to home and attends Division-II Northern Kentucky University playing for the late great Bill Aker. Like everyone, Hetz has great stories about his former head coach that are very entertaining. Even though Aker was tough to play for at times, Hetzer gives him credit for being man’s man and treating everyone as an equal which made the players play hard for him.

After his player career was offer, Hetzer stayed on the staff first as a graduate assistant and then as a full-time assistant coach. After four seasons on Aker’s staff, Hetzer was presented the opportunity of a lifetime to become the head coach at Thomas More at the age of 26 years old.

Hetz explains how Aker set him up for the job opportunity for him to move over to Thomas More upon his own retirement after the 2000 season.

Hetzer was not only the head baseball coach at Thomas More but he was also the assistant men’s basketball coach. In early 2004, athletic director and head men’s basketball coach Terry Connor has a precarious situation on his hands when the women’s basketball team is in need of a head coach mid-way through the season. He turns to Hetz who is also beginning his baseball season at the same time.

Hetzer talks about his storied career as the head baseball coach at Thomas More where he won a school record 484 games while making seven NCAA tournament appearances and winning five Presidents Athletic Conference titles.

After the 2019 season, Hetzer was promoted to Associate Athletic Director in charge of facilities and retires as the head baseball coach after 19 seasons. Hetzer was grateful for his time as the baseball coach, embraces the new challenge as an administrator while handing the reigns of the baseball program to his longtime assistant coach Jeremy Martin.

You can follow Brady Laber on Twitter @BradyLaber1 please use the hashtag #NobodysSafe

Check out the Nobody’s Safe website at nobodysssafe.fireside.fm

For more information on Stove Leg Media go the website StoveLeg.com or send an email to [email protected]

Intro music for the podcast was provided by bensoud.com