ABERDEEN, S.D. – Former Dakota State University head coach
Dean Berry has accepted the Northern State University head baseball coaching position. NSU President
Dr. James Smith and athletic director
Bob Olson made the announcement on Thursday.
Berry takes over the reins following an NSU administrative decision, along with funding provided by the NSU Wolves Athletic Club, to move the position to full-time status. Former NSU skipper
Mark Gulseth guided the Wolves for the past three years on a part-time basis.
"We are pleased to have Dean join our athletics staff here at Northern,” said Smith. “Baseball needs a strong and experienced coach at this point in time to lead our program moving forward. We feel certain that we have found just that man."
Olson echoed Smith's comments. “We're excited about Coach Berry taking over the program,” he said. “He comes from a great baseball background both personally and professionally. He's a great fit to take over the program and move it to the next level.”
No stranger to the region, Berry brings more than a decade of collegiate coaching experience to the table, most recently completing his third season at the helm of the DSU program. There he compiled a record of 68-58 for the Trojans, coaching his players to 10 First Team All-Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) accolades.
Prior to DSU, Berry spent one season as the head softball coach/sports information director at Presentation College in Aberdeen, where he earned Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors. That season came on the heels of a 4-year stint as the assistant baseball coach at Mayville State University under NAIA Hall of Fame coach Scott Berry. At MSU,
Dean Berry was charged with recruiting coordinator and academic supervisor duties.
Berry also spent the summer of 2004 coaching for USA Athletes International in Prague, Czech Republic. There he coached a team of current and former college players in an international tournament, finishing fourth.
From 2000-02, Berry was the head coach at Si Tanka University-Huron in Huron, S.D., guiding the squad to the national tournament in his final season.
Berry is a 1994 graduate of Mayville State, where he was a 4-year letter winner for both the baseball and football squads. He was named to the 1993 NDCAC All-Conference baseball team as a pitcher and helped the Comets to four straight conference championships.