Valparaiso University baseball head coach Brian Schmack has announced the addition of Chase Hetzel, who will serve as the program's hitting coach.
 
Hetzel arrives at Valpo after having served as the Director of Hitting for X2 Baseball, a player development and training facility in North Carolina, since 2022. He managed all hitting operations and player communication for athletes ranging from high school to professional. He developed and implemented programming including hitting prep and swing design while organizing and running scout days and youth camps. Hetzel trained over 200 high school athletes, 80 collegiate athletes (35 Division-I) and 15 professional players (two first-round picks) during his time at X2.
 
"We're excited to bring Chase to Valpo," Schmack said. "He came highly recommended, and once I got a chance to speak with him at length, I could see why. He has tremendous knowledge and passion for hitting, and we're looking forward to getting started in the fall. I think our guys will embrace him and his approach to make them better baseball players."
 
Hetzel served as the hitting coach for the Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League in 2021 as the team finished third in the league in runs per game and second in home runs, on-base plus slugging (OPS) and total bases. From 2021 to 2022, he served as the Director of Scouting/Baseball Operations at Combine Academy, where he hosted recruits and families on visits, successfully committing 10 players in his first year. He assisted the hitting coach in the daily development of hitters on the postgrad team.
 
"I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the future of Valpo Baseball," Hetzel said. "There's a lot of talent on this roster and coaching staff, and I'm excited to get to work!"
 
A native of Holly Springs, N.C., Hetzel graduated from Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C. in 2021 with a bachelor's in sport management.