Coaches

Coach Heard graduated from Louisville High School in 1994.  He attended Doane College from 1994 through 1999, playing baseball and majoring in Secondary Education.  Coach Heard began his coaching career at Crete High School in 1997 while still a student at Doane.  He student taught and later took his first job at Crete High in 1999.  In 2000 Coach Heard moved to Millard North, where he coached football and boys basketball until 2002.  He took his first head coaching position at Ralston High School in boys basketball and would serve as the head coach for the next eleven years.  In this time, the Rams would qualify for the state tournament eight times, finishing as runner up in 2003 and 2004, before winning a state title in 2009.  Coach Heard began coaching softball in 2010 while in his last year with the Rams.  

Heard moved to Gretna, where he continued to coach boys basketball and softball.  The Dragons captured back to back state titles in basketball in 2015 and 2016.  

In softball, the Dragons qualified for state in 2014 and would go on to continue to qualify for state tournaments from 2014 through 2019.  They captured a state title in 2015 and were runner ups in 2016.  They have played on Championship Friday four times during Heard's tenure (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019).  Coach Heard is also active in the Nebraska Gold organization.  

Coach Heard is married to Kelly and has two children.  His son Jake and daughter Brylee are students in Gretna Public Schools.  

Coach Channon Oseka graduated from Plattsmouth High School in 1993.  She attended the University of Nebraska - Kearney where she was a member of the Loper softball team during the 1994-1997 seasons.  During her four years of eligibility, she was a three year starter, two-time RMAC All-Conference selection, participated in three NCAA Regional Tournaments, and two NCAA Elite-Eight National Tournaments. While finishing her college classes and student teaching, Coach Oseka was the assistant softball coach at Lexington High School for the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

Coach Oseka was hired as a middle school health teacher for Gretna Public schools in August of 2000.  She as been involved with the Gretna High softball program off-and-on throughout her career.  She served as the head coach from 2000-2006, and as an assistant coach in 2009, as well as 2014 - present. Coach O spent several years coaching youth softball in the Gretna community.  

Coach Oseka was married to her husband, Antone, in 2008 and they have one daughter, Josie, was born in 2010.

Coach McKenna Nixon graduated from Elkhorn South High School in 2015. She attended the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, where she graduated in the spring of 2020. 

Coach Nixon was hired as a High School Social Studies Teacher for Gretna Public Schools in April of 2020. The 2020 season was her first year being involved with the Gretna High School softball program, as well as being an assistant coach in the Nebraska Gold softball program. 

Coach Olivia Aden graduated from Beatrice High School in 2020, where she was a two-time All-State Thirdbaseman in 2018 and 2019. She went on to attend the University of Nebraska Omaha, competing for the Mavericks from 2020–2024. Olivia was the starting third baseman for the 2023 and 2024 Summit League Championship teams and helped lead the Mavericks to back-to-back NCAA Regional Tournament appearances — first at LSU in 2023 and then in Columbia, Missouri in 2024 — coming just one game shy of advancing to a Super Regional. She balanced her responsibilities as a student-athlete while earning a degree in Elementary Education and was named to the Dean’s List every semester.

She began her teaching career in Gretna Public Schools this year and currently teaches second grade at Whitetail Creek Elementary.

This is Coach Aden’s first season with the Gretna High School softball program. She is excited to bring her love for the game and her playing experience to the Dragons while helping young athletes build their skills and confidence both on and off the field.