UNLV baseball head coach Nick Garritano has announced the return of former Rebel standout JP Hefft as the program's Director of Offensive Development ahead of the 2027 season.
Hefft returns to Las Vegas after spending the 2026 season as an assistant coach at the College of Southern Nevada, where he helped develop the Coyotes' offense while beginning his collegiate coaching career.
A two-year letterwinner for the Rebels from 2024-25, Hefft established himself as one of the Mountain West's most reliable hitters while excelling both on the field and in the classroom. During his senior campaign in 2025, Hefft started 51 of the 52 games he appeared in and ranked third on the team with a .308 batting average. He collected 65 hits for the second straight season while recording career highs with four home runs and 38 RBI. He also led the Rebels with eight stolen bases and 45 runs scored, while finishing among the Mountain West leaders in plate appearances, at-bats and hit-by-pitches.
As a junior in 2024, Hefft made an immediate impact after transferring from Saddleback College, starting 48 games and batting .328. His 65 hits and 47 runs scored both ranked second on the team, and he finished 12th in the Mountain West in batting average among qualified hitters. He also tied for the team lead with three triples and earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® honors.
Prior to arriving at UNLV, Hefft starred at Saddleback College, where he batted .379 as a sophomore in 2023 to lead the Bobcats while totaling 80 hits and a program-best 23 doubles. During his freshman season in 2022, he posted a .287 batting average with a .442 on-base percentage while appearing in 32 games.
Throughout his collegiate career, Hefft was equally successful in the classroom, earning CSC Academic All-District® recognition in both 2024 and 2025, Academic All-Mountain West honors in 2025 and the Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award following the 2024-25 academic year. A native of San Clemente, California, Hefft graduated from UNLV in the spring of 2025 with a degree in economics.
