DMACC Baseball Camps

Coaching Staff

Nic Mishler | Head Coach

Nic Mishler enters his fifth season as Head Coach after serving one season as Pitching Coach/Recruiting Coordinator for the Bears.

In Mishler’s five years at DMACC the program has seen 43 players move on to four-year schools including Austin Murr who recorded the first hit in the 2021
College World Series while playing for North Carolina State University. Murr, a 2019 DMACC graduate, was selected in the 6th round with the 165th pick by the
Detroit Tigers in the 2021 MLB draft.

Before coming to DMACC Mishler was at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana for five years where he coached both catchers, and pitchers as well as played a big part in their recruiting efforts. He was the catching coach for three-year starter Scott Kapers, who was selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball
Draft by the Texas Rangers. Kapers became the eighth Valpo player drafted in nine years and Valpo's highest draft pick since 2011. Along with Kapers, Mishler coached four additional players that were selected in the MLB draft or signed pro contracts with an affiliated team.

Prior to his time at Valparaiso University, Mishler spent two years at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, where he served as the bullpen coach and assisted with pitchers. While at Grand Canyon University he was part of a staff, led by Head Coach Andy Stankiewicz, that went to the NCAA Division II World Series. During his time at Grand Canyon University there were two different pitchers taken in the MLB draft as well as one Rawlings Gold Glove winner.

Mishler spent the summer of 2013 as pitching coach of the East Texas Pump Jacks of the Texas Collegiate League. He also worked with infielders and
outfielders while with East Texas. Mishler played two years of collegiate baseball at Kellogg Community College where he served as the teams closer and pitched in the Division II Junior College World Series. After KCC Mishler finished his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management at Grand Canyon University.

A native of Shipshewana, Indiana, Mishler graduated from Westview Jr. Sr. High School in 2009.

Danny Higginbotham | Assistant Coach
Danny Higginbotham is entering his fifth season as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at DMACC. Danny works with the hitters, catchers and
leads the programs efforts in recruiting future DMACC Bears.

Prior to DMACC, he spent two seasons as an Assistant Coach at South Dakota State University. At SDSU, he worked with the hitters, catchers, and coordinated camps. Before his time at SDSU, he was an assistant at Iowa Central Community College. At ICCC, he worked with the catchers and hitters on a daily basis. During that season at ICCC, the Tritons went (38-16) and were Region 11 Champions. Before joining the ICCC staff, Higginbotham spent two years at Arkansas Tech
University as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator.

Higginbotham spent five summers coaching in the Coastal Plain League. His last four were as Head Coach for the Martinsville Mustangs (2016, 2017) and the
Macon Bacon (2018, 2019). His first summer, he was the Pitching Coach for the Morehead City Marlins (2015). During his tenure in the CPL, he has mentored 18 players selected in the MLB Draft. During his playing career, Higginbotham caught at Arkansas Tech University from 2009-2011 where he earned Gulf South Conference Academic Honors in each of his three seasons. During his three years at ATU, they compiled a record of 88-65 and earned bids to the Gulf South Conference Tournament in 2010 and 2011. Higginbotham started his college playing career at Howard College in Big Spring, TX in 2008.

Coach Higginbotham is originally from Bedford, Texas. He graduated from Arkansas Tech University with his B.S. in Business Administration in 2011 and his M.S. in Student Affairs Administration in 2016.

Zac Mishler | Assistant Coach

Zac Mishler enters his first season with the Bears as an assistant coach where he will be in charge of the infield and outfield defense  as well as work with hitters.  

Zac comes to DMACC after spending the previous two years as the head baseball coach at Alderson-Broaddus University. Prior to being the  head coach at Alderson-Broaddus University Zac was an assistant coach there for five years where he was in charge of the team’s offense, defense and recruiting efforts. ABU saw thirteen total all conference players, with nine of those being infielders, and  one second team all-region player in Mishler’s time with the Battlers. ABU also saw pitcher Randy Dobnak sign professionally with the Minnesota Twins in 2017 while Mishler was there. Dobnak made his MLB debut with the twins in 2019 and was the game one starter  in the playoffs against the New York Yankees in that same season.  

Prior to his time at ABU Mishler spent one season at Saint Joseph College where he worked with infielders and hitters.  

Kaden Peterson | Assistant Coach

Kaden Peterson is entering his first season as an assistant coach at DMACC. Kaden works with pitchers, assists with  player development and serves as bullpen coach on gameday.  

Before coming to DMACC to coach, he attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Peterson pitched in two seasons  (2022, 2023) for the Salukis while pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Administration. He closed out a combined no-hitter in his Division 1 debut against Austin Peay State University. 

Prior to SIU, Peterson pitched for the DMACC Bears in three seasons (2019, 2020, 2021). He spent much of the 2021 season  rehabilitating an arm injury. Before COVID-19 shut down the 2020 campaign, Peterson had pitched 8 innings with a 3.38 ERA. He earned ICCAC Honorable Mention All-Conference after his freshman year. Peterson graduated with his Associate of Science in Liberal  Arts degree from DMACC in the spring of 2020.

Peterson is from Luther, Iowa, and graduated from Ames High School in 2018.