By Athletic Communications Assistant Alex McKeon

BEREA, Ohio – No matter where life has taken him, basketball has been the driving force in Cody Hartzler’s life.

The Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach at Baldwin Wallace has always found his way back to the game, even when another sport drew his attention for several years early in his life.

“Going into my junior year, I went out for track, in large part because I thought it would be good cross training for basketball and I had some friends doing it,” said Hartzler. “It turned out that I was way better at track than I was at basketball. I ended up being all-state and earned a scholarship as a high jumper.

Hartzler parlayed his successful high school track career into a scholarship at Kutztown (Pa.) University, becoming a Division II All-American in the high jump and a four-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) selection. Nevertheless, the post athletic career focus was always the same: return to basketball.

“I was fortunate that I had a role model, who was someone who went to my same high school, went and played college basketball and got into college coaching, who still to this day I call a really good mentor of mine: Jeromy Yetter,” said Hartzler. “He was coaching college basketball and holding camps while I was in college, so in the off-season’s I would go and work camp for him. It was a really good experience and when I graduated college in 2009, he offered me a position on his staff at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.”

Hartzler’s position at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg as an assistant with the men’s basketball team helped propel him into the profession and from there started his quick ascent. Following his stint with the Bobcats, Hartzler joined head coach Guy Neal at Bluffton University as a graduate assistant for men’s basketball. After earning his master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in health care management, Hartzler latched on as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Washington & Jefferson College. It marked his final stop before moving to the women’s basketball side for the first time at Baldwin Wallace beginning in the 2015-16 season.

“After my first year at W&J, I interviewed for the men’s coaching assistant here at BW,” said Hartzler. “I didn’t get it, but through the process I got to meet Coach [Cheri] Harrer. Then in the following year, the assistant coach position for Coach Harrer opened up and I interviewed for it and got it and that’s how I got to BW.”

While the transition from men’s basketball to women’s basketball is one not often made in college and professional levels, Hartzler saw the transition as natural and kicked off what has been the longest tenured position in his career.

“The transition was seamless,” said Hartzler. “What interested me most about the transition was to work with Coach Harrer who is a Hall of Famer. I knew I could make an impact on people, regardless of what level or regardless of what gender I am coaching. So, if that is going to be equal and I can make a difference in people’s lives, well I want to do that in a place I can win. I had never worked at a place that had the success that Coach Harrer has had in her program. Getting to dive into a culture like that made the transition easy.”

Harrer, the head coach of women’s basketball at Baldwin Wallace agrees, and sees Hartzler as a tremendous fit in the program’s culture and an added mentor for all of the young women that the two have coached.

“Cody has incredibly high character and truly lives out his faith as a Christian,” said Harrer. “He is an incredible role model for our young women with several saying that he has given them a great ideal of what they want to find in a husband. He works incredibly hard at the game and recruiting, but still prioritizes his relationships with everyone around him. He brings terrific energy to everything that we do as a department and basketball program. Coach Hartzler is a tremendous asset to everyone at BW.”

Behind the program’s culture, the wins and accolades have piled up. In Harrer and Hartzler’s five seasons together, the program has won 101 games, have had two NCAA Tournament appearances and an Ohio Athletic Conference title. Hartzler was named a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 presented by Marriott Rewards® honoree in his own right, but remains hungrier than ever.

“When I first got here, our program was good,” said Hartzler. “You could count on us to win 16-20 games annually and for a lot of teams, that’s what their goal is and what they are striving to get towards. But we worked really hard to get it back to the level of where it was in the 90’s and early 2000’s, where the expectation is, we are winning 25 plus games and we are a legit contender for the National Championship. We still have room to grow and if there is anything, I’ve learned here it’s that you can’t rest on the fact you’ve gotten there. Like with our run last year, nobody cares what you did last year, it’s a never-ending pursuit. We’re going to continue to try and attract the student-athletes it takes to compete at the highest levels in Division III and continue to develop them once they get here.”

Hartzler’s humility, drive for success and positive attitude have endeared him to not just Harrer, but the numerous athletes that he has coached in his time with the Yellow Jackets. Senior Gabby Garrett, one of the leaders of the team, recognizes those efforts.

“Coach Cody is one of those coaches who pushes me to be the best I can be, but also goes through it with me,” said Garrett. “He will be in the gym and put me through a workout in the morning, and then later in the day he will be sitting in his office helping me with schoolwork or helping me decide what I want to do with my future. Coach Hartzler is so involved in our life as more than just a coach. Every time I walk by his office, there is always a teammate talking with him about literally anything. I am so thankful for everything Coach Hartzler has done for me and the BW Women's Basketball program.”