Eastern Wayne Today

Wayne State University has announced the promotion of Aaron Hepner to Associate Head Coach of its baseball team. The announcement was made by head coach Ryan Kelley, who praised Hepner's long-standing contribution to the program.

"One of the longest tenured assistant coaches in our athletic department, Coach Hepner's experience merits this coaching title," said Kelley. "His impact on our baseball program as the recruiting coordinator and his development of our position players have been extensive. Beyond coaching leadership strategy, his attention to detail, and mentorship are impactful with our student-athletes."

Hepner recently completed his 12th year at Wayne State University (WSU) and has a total of 19 years in college-level coaching. Before joining WSU, he spent five seasons at Eastern Michigan working under former Warrior head coach Jay Alexander.

Throughout his career, Hepner has been successful in developing catchers, with six signing professional contracts and four being drafted. Under his guidance, the 2025 team achieved a 27-28 overall record and reached the final day of the GLIAC Tournament before losing to Davenport.

In previous years, Hepner contributed significantly to WSU's successes. In 2023, he helped lead the Warriors to a record-setting season with 42 wins and both GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The team also made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament for two years.

The 2022 season saw WSU achieving a school-record fielding percentage (.975) along with notable offensive achievements such as setting records for walks (281), RBI (388), and runs (446). In addition, their pitchers recorded 379 strikeouts.

Hepner's earlier tenure includes helping Eastern Michigan's pitching staff become one of the top staffs in their conference during his first season there. His experience extends back to playing days at Dayton University where he was noted for his defensive skills as a catcher.

Hepner is originally from Woodinville, Washington, and graduated from Dayton with a degree in sports management.