Dan Hlad

Dan Hlad

  • Title
    Assistant Coach - Pitching
  • Email
    hladd@nsula.edu
  • Phone
    318-357-4134
  • Alma Mater
    Northwestern State, 2018
A key member of the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament champions and a pivotal piece of Chris Bertrand’s first Northwestern State coaching staff, Dan Hlad is in his fourth season on the Northwestern State staff, his first as the Demon pitching coach.

During his introductory news conference, Bertrand referenced the importance of retaining Hlad from former coach Bobby Barbier’s staff.

In three seasons assisting Barbier with the NSU pitchers, Hlad helped four players earn All-Southland Conference honors while Levi David and Johnathan Harmon each became the conference’s top MLB Draft pick in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Hlad helped Alex Makarewich, a second-team All-Southland Conference selection, become the Demons’ fourth drafted pitcher in as many seasons when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 13th round of the 2023 Major Leage Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Hlad spent two seasons at Northwestern State after transferring from Black Hawk College.

A right-handed pitcher, Hlad spent the 2018 season as a swingman, tying for the team lead with 20 appearances, including two starts.

Hlad fashioned a 3-2 record and three saves with a 2.73 ERA while working 56 innings (fourth-most on the team) and started the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament championship game against New Orleans.

A 2018 Northwestern State graduate in business administration, Hlad pitched for the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League in 2018 before returning to Northwestern State to assist with the NSU pitching staff in the fall of 2018.

Hlad, a native of Midlothian, Illinois, spent the 2020 season as the pitching coach at Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi, where he was the primary pitch caller and assisted with recruiting operations.

While at Meridian, Hlad helped develop a pair of pitchers who signed with four-year colleges.