Bio

In 1983, Bloomsburg area native Jeff Nietz went to Marian Catholic HS in Tamaqua and was hired to be the Director of Guidance.  Having played baseball in a very successful high school program at Central Columbia and at PSUAC & NCAA Division II Bloomsburg State College, Jeff immediately joined Charlie Connelys’ staff as the Junior Varsity Coach as well as having scouting duties.  In 1998 he stepped into the position of Assistant Coach, helping the Colts win four division championships.  Together with Chink, they started the Marian Colts Baseball Camp for area youth (one of the first in existence in the region).

In 1994 Jeff became the Colts Head Coach when Chink moved on to Mt. Carmel as a football coach. That year he guided his Colts to the first of many Schuylkill League division championships and went to the District XI Class AA Championship - although they fell to Williams Valley, he was named the Schuylkill League Small School Coach of the Year. Jeff has remained the head coach for the Colts for the past 20 years, finally retiring at the end of the 2014 season.  In that time, Jeff has amassed an overall record of 275-154, while qualifying for the District XI playoffs 19 times.  His overall record includes nine Schuylkill League Division Championships: 1994, ’98, ’99, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’06 and ’11.  In 2001, Jeff guided the Colts to the District XI Class A Championship beating Minersville; reaching the PIAA State playoffs finishing in the Elite Eight of the state.  That year, he was rewarded with his second Schuylkill League Small School Coach of the Year honor. In the last six years of his career, six of Nietz’s players were named to the first and second teams of the  Pennsylvania State High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State All Star Team.  In addition to his coaching duties at Marian, he was one of the founding members of the Anthracite Baseball Coaches Association and served as secretary/treasurer throughout its existence.  He was also a member of the Pennsylvania State High School Baseball Coaches Association Board of Officers.

Jeff is married to his wife Rita and lives in Coaldale with their three children, Scott, Frank and Lauren, an alumni of Penn State Hazleton Hazleton.  Nietz received his BA in Sociology from Bloomsburg State College, A Master’s Degree of Education in Counselor Education from Penn State University, a Master’s Degree in Technology Education from Wilkes University; he was awarded his Ph.D. in 2005, Jeff taught graduate classes in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania until his retirement in 2015.  He currently does technological consultation work while working as the assistant baseball coach, recruiting coordinator and gameday assistant for the athletics department at Penn State Hazleton.