GU alums reunite at I-70 Baseball Coaches Clinic

Published: February 11, 2025

Author: Dave Bell

For the past 21 years, the I-70 Baseball Coaches Clinic has brought accomplished baseball players and coaches to Greenville each January to share their expertise about the game with area high school and junior high coaches. This year, the clinic attracted 100 coaches from 10 states.

Notably, three of this year’s clinicians were Greenville University alums who currently coach or scout for a Major League Baseball organization.

The former Panthers were Jeremiah Knackstedt ’07 (San Francisco Giants coach), Nate Metzger ’94 (Chicago Cubs scout), and Perry Roth ‘98 (Tampa Bay Rays coach). They each conducted clinics during the two-day event at Bond County Community High School.

Jeremiah Knackstedt, San Francisco Giants

Though he was a catcher in high school and college, Jeremiah Knackstedt presented clinics on outfield play as well as catching at the recent clinic.

“As a catcher, you learn a little bit about a lot of things,” Knackstedt said. “The main thing about playing in the outfield is movement – anticipating the hit, moving in a direct line to catch the ball, backing up other outfielders, and getting your body behind the ball when you throw it to the infield.”

A native of Alhambra, Illinois, he attended Highland High School before enrolling at Greenville College, where he graduated in 2007 with a degree in physical education. After college, he played briefly in the Frontier League but then shifted his focus to a coaching career. For the past five years, he has coached in the Giants organization and is currently managing the team’s Class A Eugene Emeralds in Eugene, Oregon. When he’s not on the road managing, he lives in Highland with his wife, Amy, and their four children.

Knackstedt said his time at Greenville College was important in his growth as a player and as a person. “It was a good situation for me,” he recalled. “Coach Lynn Carlson taught us a lot about baseball, but he also taught us that there are things in life that are more important than baseball. He and several people in the education and PE departments – Coach Roy Mulholland and Coach George Barber, in particular – helped me grow and mature as a student and as a person.

“I’ve been blessed by people who have helped me along the way,” he continued. “Because of that, I strive to do the same for the players I oversee today. I love it when they come to me for advice on negotiating life’s challenges. People did that for me, and I feel privileged to return the favor.”

Nate Metzger, Chicago Cubs

Nate Metzger, a Mulberry Grove native, played for Greenville College in the early 1990s, graduating in 1994 with an education degree. After GC, he was the athletic director and head baseball coach at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, for 10 years and then assistant baseball coach at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, for eight years. He’s been working as a scout for the Cubs organization for just over a year – looking for talented high school and college baseball players in Ohio and four surrounding states.

During his clinic, Metzger spoke on “Building Relationships Through Coaching and Scouting.” He encouraged the coaches to build bonds with their players. “Be humble, be positive, and be authentic,” he said. “It’s important to talk about all parts of life with them, not just sports. By building those relationships, you will help them become better people, not just better ball players.”

Metzger said his time at GC impacted him in many ways. “The Christian aspect of the school made a real difference for me,” he said. “It took me a little time to get on board, but the chapel messages finally started to sink in. I also met my wife, Sarah, there.”

He said that the late Jack Traeger (former coach and athletic director) had a significant impact on his life. “He was unbelievable,” Metzger said. “He was my academic advisor, but more importantly, he was my friend. We had so many impactful conversations on a wide variety of topics. He, and others like Ish Smith, got me headed in the right direction.”

Perry Roth, Tampa Bay Rays

As an infielder on the Greenville College baseball team, Perry Roth learned that the little things could make a big difference in his performance. Now, as a coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, he teaches those subtleties to the players under his supervision.

“In Tampa Bay, as a small-market team, we have to look around the edges to find ways to win games,” he said. “Those small things include aggressive base running, stealing bases, and sliding techniques. We can find edges and win games by being aggressive in areas like those. We call them value plays.”

A native of Gridley, Illinois, Roth played infield for Greenville College in the early 1990s. After college, he served briefly on the coaching staffs at Illinois State and Bradley Universities before settling in for a 15-year run at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he still lives in the off-season. He was hired by the Rays in 2022, serving as hitting coach, base coach, and now bench coach.

He's learned many aspects of baseball along the way, but still views his time at GC as a valuable time of spiritual growth.

“It was then that my faith became personal – it was my own, not something I adopted from my parents,” he said. “My professors challenged me and made me think as I matured in my faith.

“The college years were such a great time in my life,” Roth continued. “Many of the friendships I made back then have lasted to this day. Those are special relationships because of the memories we share.”