Wright State baseball coach Nate Metzger says his purpose is to help players grow as Godly men | Sports Spectrum

Former guest, good friend, and one of the original counsel of coaches who helped to guide Top Coach in its infancy, Nate Metzger, is featured in this profile in Sports Spectrum. Nate is a solid family man and terrific coach. The number of lives he’s impacted is incalculable. After reading this article, you’ll get a good understanding of why he is so widely respected among his peers and former players.

By Jonathan Hodgson

In sports or any of life’s pursuits, we can become wrapped up in the temporary goals and victories. We begin to make a lasting impact when we live intentionally, treating all of our actions as an investment in our relationship with God and our eternal life with Him.

That is the lesson Nate Metzger had imparted on his life from an early age, and one he’s now passing on to young men as an assistant baseball coach at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Metzger grew up in Greenville, Ill, 45 minutes east of St. Louis and Busch Stadium. The oldest of two boys, Metzger says that even though his parents were divorced when he was young, he had an active and positive relationship with both parents, who instilled the importance of faith in his life.

“One parent lived on each side of town after the divorce and I was fortunate to be able to be close to both of them,” Metzger said. “Both of my parents, as well as my stepparents, made sure I always went to church. No matter where the maturity of your faith is at, especially at a young age, just having someone take you consistently plants seeds.”

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It was while playing at Greenville College, a liberal arts Christian school in his hometown, when Metzger began to build relationships that would form the foundation for his coaching career.

Metzger was recruited and coached at Greenville by David Altopp, a 2009 inductee into the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.

“David Altopp demonstrated the emotional side of coaching to me,” Metzger said. “I learned from him to not be afraid to let players know how you feel about them or anything. He always tried to be open, giving, and was not afraid to cry and show his emotions. We all like to receive, but in order for that to happen, you have to put others first. David lived this.”

Read the entire article at Sports Spectrum.