Nick Kozole to coach Tigers baseball team

June 12, 2025

By Clay Whittington

Belton Journal

Nick Kozole did what most good husbands should, and it brought him to Belton.

After spending the past several years overseeing the program at New Braunfels Canyon, an opportunity arose with the Tigers as longtime head baseball coach Mark Krueger retired following nine consecutive playoff appearances.

As circumstances would have it, Kozole’s wife graduated from Mary Hardin-Baylor and always longed to return. Now, she is.

Kozole was recently hired to replace Krueger, and while he was excited about the opportunity for obvious reasons, admittedly, it was also something he wanted for his wife.

“Belton has been on our radar for quite some time,” Kozole said.

“My wife always loved it there and has always said she wanted to raise her kids in Belton. So, when this job came open, that was my calling, and it pulled me here.

I knew this was just perfect timing.”

The father of two takes over the Tigers with a history of transforming teams into winners, but that particular skill will not be necessary.

In just four seasons at Canyon, Kozole led the Cougars to consecutive district championships and a trip to the regional final, while helping extend 25 players’ careers to the college level.

Prior to that, Kozole and his players set new school records for total victories in a season and district wins in a season at Manor, after posting an overall record of 3-21 the season before his arrival.

Additionally, in 2016, Kozole inherited a Greenville team on a 40-game losing skid and guided it to a 17-9 record in 2019 — a school record for wins in a season. Kozole left with the most head coaching victories in program history.

Belton, however, is accustomed to competing for district championships and playoff berths, and that is a welcome change.

“That is always nice as a coach,” Kozole said.

“You don’t always want to have to rebuild, and this is the furthest thing from a rebuild there is.

There has been so much success within Belton’s baseball history, so I don’t want to come in and overhaul or change everything.

I’m looking forward to just getting with the coaches and the guys and seeing what works and what doesn’t work.

I just want to continue what is going on here while putting my own spin on things to try and get us to the next level.”

Kozole hopes he is currently encountering the biggest challenge of his job change as he attempts to sell his current home and begin the relocation process to Belton.

Regardless of how things unfold with his move, Kozole will be ready to begin the next phase of his family’s life when the school year begins.

“Belton has been great to me so far,” he said.

“I’ve received numerous phone calls welcoming me, and there was great turnout at the meet-and-greet held at the school.

It has just been a great experience for my whole family.”