Staff
Head Coach
Aaron Swick

Aaron Swick enters his eleventh season as the head coach of the Willamette baseball team in the spring of 2019. He has guided the Bearcats to an overall record of 215-186-1. In 2018, the Bearcats won a program record 31 games, won the NWC Tournament, and finished runner-up in the NCAA Division III West Region. Swick was chosen NCAA Division III West Region coach of the year. In 2017 the Bearcats finished 28-14 and 18-6 in NWC play. They lost in the NWC Tournament Championship game.

Swick has made winning a common occurrence during his time. The Bearcats are one of only 4 teams in the entire West Region to have 5 straight winning season.

Swick, who served as the Willamette pitching coach and baseball recruiting coordinator in 2006 and 2007, became head coach in September of 2008. Swick, in his 12th season overall, has coached three All-Americans, seven All-Region, 16 First Team All-NWC and one NWC Player of the Year.

Kyle Stalker was Third Team All-America at first base twice (AFCA ‘08, D3baseball.com ‘09) and belted 51 homers in his career. In 2011, outfielder T.C. Lee was named Second Team All-America after achieving a .417 batting average with 12 home runs, 15 doubles, and 44 RBIs.

In 2012, Mitchell Rowan was a Preseason All-America pick. Rowan also was chosen Preseason All-America in 2011 after batting .403 with 12 homers in 2010, but he missed most of the 2011 season due to an injury.

Swick has played a key role in improving the facilities at John Lewis Field since being named head coach. In the fall of 2013, Swick brought in Grant Trenbeath -- a Willamette alumni and the head groundskeeper for the Arizona Diamondbacks -- to re-level the field and improve the infield cutouts at each base. In addition, during his tenure, Swick has added new pro-style benches and an updated clubhouse, along with a pitcher's strength and conditioning room.

Assistant Coach
Mikey Nantze

Mikey Nantze is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Willamette University baseball team. He will work with the hitters, catchers, and will serve as the team's strength and conditioning coach.

Nantze arrived at Willamette after being the hitting coach and working with catchers at Union City High School (Tenn.) in 2016.

Originally from Carmichael, California, he received an Associate of Arts degree from Sierra College and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee at Martin. In 2016, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UT-Martin in Early Childhood Education.

Nantze played baseball at both Sierra College and UT-Martin. As a senior at UT-Martin, he earned a .987 fielding percentage as a catcher and ranked in the top five in the conference by throwing out 15 runners who were attempting to steal. He played in 38 games that season with 32 starts.

Assistant Coach
Bert Hunter

Bert Hunter enters his tenth season with the Bearcats in 2019.

Hunter has an impressive background as a professional coach. From 2001-07, Hunter managed in the Arizona League with the San Francisco Giants organization. His club won four league titles, and he was named manager of the year in 2004. He was the hitting coach for the same team in 2008.

Hunter also served as the hitting coach for the Hagerstown (Pa.) Suns in 2001, the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Volcanoes from 1998-00, and the Jackson (Miss.) Generals in 1997.

He grew up in Riverside, Calif., and was selected by the Houston Astros in the second round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. He played outfield and first base during his nine-year professional career from 1985-93. Hunter played in 1,064 career games in the Astros and Mets organizations, earning a lifetime batting average of .240 with 43 HR’s and 285 stolen bases.

Assistant Coach
David Dennis

David Dennis is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Willamette University baseball team. He will work with the infielders and outfielders, while serving as the team's first base coach.

Dennis arrived at Willamette after completing a graduate assistant position at Corban University during the 2015-17 seasons. At Corban, he worked with the catchers, was the office manager, was in-charge of study hall, served as the camp director, and was an assistant coach on offense and defense for the Corban junior varsity team.

Dennis recently coached the Storm Lake WhiteCaps, an expansion team in the Pioneer Collegiate Summer Baseball League. He led Storm Lake to a second place regular season finish and helped the Whitecaps win the PCSBL Championship.

Prior to coming to Willamette, Dennis gained several years of experience as a player and a coach at various levels of baseball. He played collegiately at the College of Idaho from 2007-09. He earned his degree from the University of Nevada-Reno in 2012 with a degree in General Studies and an emphasis in Health Sciences. In 2017, he earned his MBA from Corban University.