Baseball
- Title:
- Head Baseball Coach
- Email:
- pldolan@stcloudstate.edu
- Office:
- HAH 306A
The 2025 season marks Dolan’s 29th season as a collegiate head coach including two years at Itasca College, three at Belmont Abbey and six at Dakota State. Over his 28 seasons, Dolan owns a 912-451-1 career record for a .669 winning percentage with 19 30-win seasons, seven 40-win seasons and one 50-win season.
St. Cloud State Baseball has evolved into a national power under Dolan’s leadership, appearing in 10 NCAA Regional Tournaments (2010-13, 2015-19, 2023) with four region runner-up finishes (2010, 2012-13, 2015). The Huskies earned NSIC Regular Season Championships in 2013 and 2015 along with NSIC Tournament Championships in 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2023. SCSU has been routinely ranked in the NCBWA’s Top-25 under Dolan including No. 1 reigns in 2015 and 2016.
Winning games has become an expectation at St. Cloud State in the Dolan era. Since 2008, the Huskies have earned 14 30-win seasons, seven 40-win seasons and won a program record 54 games in 2015. SCSU has never finished less than three games over .500 during Dolan’s 17 seasons and has earned a top-three conference finish in 14 of 17 seasons including every year since 2010. The Huskies have appeared in 16 of a possible 17 NSIC Tournaments under Dolan, going 36-24 in conference tournament play with a 20-20 record in NCAA Tournament action. Prior to Dolan’s appointment in 2008, St. Cloud State hadn’t finished .500 or better in a season since 2001.
Over 17 seasons spanning the Dolan era, 71 Huskies have earned All-Conference honors, 51 have gained All-Region status and 21 All-Americans have been crowned. Jordan Smith (2011), Michael Jurgella (2015) and Sam Riola (2022) each were named both NSIC and Central Region Player of the Year while Reese Gregory (2015) and Sheldon Miks (2016) each were honored as NSIC and Central Region Pitcher of the Year under Dolan. Gregory became the Huskies’ first-ever National Pitcher of the Year in 2015.
Seven Huskies recruited and coached by Dolan have been selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft – lefthander David Deminsky in 2010, third baseman Jordan Smith and outfielder Brian Hansen in 2011, righthander Kyle Fischer in 2014, outfielder Najee Gaskins in 2019, lefthander Matt Osterberg in 2021 and righthander Ethan Lanthier in 2024 – in addition to 10 free agent signees. Ryan Duffy, Caeden Harris, Caleb Marquez, Reese Gregory, Garrett Harrison, Mike Jurgella, Sean Borman, Scott Lieser, Nate Hammes and Kyle Resser each signed professional contracts after their St. Cloud State careers concluded. Former Husky righthander Nick Anderson became the sixth SCSU product to reach the Major Leagues after debuting on March 28, 2019 for the Tampa Bay Rays – Anderson spent 2009-11 at St. Cloud State before concluding his career at Mayville State and being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012.
Excellence in the classroom is a staple of the Pat Dolan era at St. Cloud State, with 139 Huskies earning Academic All-Conference honors in addition to 16 Academic All-District recipients. Six Huskies have earned Academic All-American status under Dolan’s leadership, including Mike Jurgella who was named the 2015 CoSIDA DII Academic All-American of the Year.
Dolan has built St. Cloud State into an offensive juggernaut, as his teams have produced 7.48 runs/game on a .318/.403/.476 slash line for a .879 OPS. The Huskies have never posted a team OPS below .802 in a full season under Dolan and have hit better than .300 in 15 of 16 full campaigns – the lone exception being a .299 team average in his debut season. Under Dolan-led teams, the Huskies own 16 program offensive records while 34 qualifying Huskies have posted OPS marks north of 1.000 and 74 qualifiers have produced an OPS of .900 or better.
A key factor in the Huskies’ success under Dolan is a legacy of stellar pitching. Throughout the Dolan era, St. Cloud State owns a 3.89 staff ERA with a 1.33 WHIP, a .677 opponent OPS and a .248 batting average against. The Huskies have posted a team ERA south of 3.00 four times in the Dolan era and have recorded a sub-4.00 ERA a total of eight times. Missing bats and limiting walks are two key factors in the success of Dolan-led pitching staffs as the Huskies have punched out 9.0 or more batters per nine in seven seasons and own a 3.6 BB/9 mark since 2018 – issuing less than 3.0 walks per nine innings in eight of their last 10 seasons.
Dolan’s coaching philosophy preaches excellent fundamentals, evidenced by the Huskies’ emphasis on consistent defensive effort. 16 players have earned Gold Gloves in the Dolan era – including ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Gloves won by Michael Jurgella and Tate Wallat for their work at catcher and third base respectively in 2015 and 2022 – as St. Cloud State has recorded a .965 team fielding percentage and a 37.16 range factor/9 since 2008. The Huskies established a new program record for best team fielding percentage in 2019 at .977, recording a fielding percentage of .970 or better four times. Husky catchers have thrown out 28.1% of attempting base stealers in the Dolan era while the defense has turned 464 double plays.
In 2024, SCSU went 32-19, finishing fourth in the Northern Sun and just missing the NCAA Tournament. A pair of Huskies earned All-NSIC First Team honors with Luke Tupy and Cal James leading the way for SCSU. Tupy earned his second career all-conference honor and closed his collegiate career with a banner season, posting a 7-2 mark with a 2.98 ERA, 1.137 WHIP and 11.65 K/9. In his lone season as a Husky, Cal James slashed .369/.504/.682 for a 1.186 OPS with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, 15 doubles and 53 runs. He was also named to the CSC Academic All-American Second Team for his success in the classroom. Tupy and James both earned All-Region honors following the season. In the 2024 MLB Draft, relief pitcher Ethan Lanthier (spent 2022-23 with SCSU, 2024 with Kansas) was selected by the New York Mets in the 12th round, becoming the seventh Husky selected in the draft under Dolan.
championship overall under Coach Dolan at the 2023 NSIC Tournament
St. Cloud State went 37-13 in 2022, finishing second in the Northern Sun and just missing the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies’ pitching staff fired nine complete games, logged six shutouts and threw a pair of no-hitters including a perfect game thrown by Luke Tupy on April 21 – just the 28th perfect game in NCAA DII history. Transfer second baseman Sam Riola earned NSIC and Central Region Player of the Year honors after slashing .429/.533/.890 for a 1.423 OPS, setting a new program record with 22 home runs while driving in 66 and stealing 30 bases – becoming one of just two DII players to homer 20-plus times with 30-plus stolen bases in 2022. Tate Wallat earned an ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Glove at third base while hitting .368 and scoring 50 runs. Centerfielder John Nett hit .359 with 17 doubles, 15 steals and a .975 OPS to anchor the top of the lineup. Tupy went 6-1 with a 1.37 ERA, striking out 76 over 46.0 innings to earn NSIC Freshman of the Year and All-American honors alongside Riola. Ethan Lanthier added an All-Region nod in his true freshman season, going 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 33.1 innings out of the bullpen. Ryan Duffy signed a professional contract with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks after the season to become the 28th Husky under Dolan to play professional baseball.
2021 saw Dolan navigate the Huskies through a pandemic-altered season, leading St. Cloud State to a 22-14 record and a third-place finish in the NSIC standings. Dolan earned his 500th win at the helm of Huskies Baseball with a 9-0 win over No. 24 Minnesota-Crookston on April 24. As a team the Huskies slashed .316/.412/.496 for a .908 OPS, their highest mark since their historic 2016 campaign. John Nett broke out in a big way with a .378/.515/.575 triple-slash for a 1.090 OPS out of the leadoff spot, stealing 15 bases and scoring 45 runs. Paul Steffensen and Matt Quade each added OPS marks north of .960 in the corners while first baseman Jake Shusterich earned All-Region honors with a .371 average and a 1.114 OPS. Four players earned All-NSIC honors and ace Matt Osterberg was selected in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Caleb Marquez signed a professional contract with the Rocky Mountain Vibes following the season.
The Huskies started off the pandemic-shortened 2020 season by going 9-5 before the season was halted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
St. Cloud State earned another 40-win season in 2019, going 41-14 under Dolan’s leadership and appearing in their fifth straight NCAA Tournament. Dominic Austing closed his career by earning All-American honors, going 8-0 with a 1.52 ERA across 12 starts with 83 punchouts over 65.1 innings and becoming the program’s career strikeout king. Sheldon Miks won eight games and added a 3.87 ERA in his return to the rotation after losing two seasons to injury. Matt Butler shined as the closer, making 20 appearances with six saves and a 2.75 ERA as part of a fearsome bullpen anchored by the talented Ahern brothers Shannon (2.91 ERA, 46.1 IP) and Riley (1.95 ERA, 32.1 IP). Mitch Mallek had a monster senior season, slashing .366/.465/.619 for a 1.084 OPS with 12 homers and 48 RBI, while Mat Meyer hit .354 with seven home runs and 50 RBI. Shortstop Jordan Joseph earned All-Region honors and picked up a Gold Glove alongside the first baseman Meyer. Transfer catcher Toran Shahidi stabilized a key position, posting a .968 OPS with seven home runs and 46 RBI, while centerfielder Najee Gaskins was selected in the 20th round of the MLB Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants after posting a 1.025 OPS and stealing 18 bags out of the leadoff spot. Caeden Harris went on to sign a professional contract with the Joliet Slammers.
More challenges awaited SCSU in 2018 as injuries pared down the position player pool to just 10 available student-athletes – again, the Huskies surged past expectations to go 30-17 and make yet another NCAA Central Region Tournament appearance. Dominic Austing anchored a staff missing two of their top-three starters with a 7-1 record and a 1.94 ERA, walking just nine batters in 78.2 innings of work while striking out 76. Mitch Mallek hit .383 with a .990 OPS while Bo Schmitz added a .359/.422/.558 triple-slash for a .980 OPS with eight home runs to anchor the lineup. Caden Harris led SCSU in all four slash categories, producing a .393/.469/.577 line for a 1.045 OPS in his debut season.
The 2017 season provided Dolan and the Huskies with a significant challenge, replacing seven starting position players and losing their ace after just two starts to injury. St. Cloud State responded by winning 41 games, going 41-18 and earning a runner-up finish at the NSIC Tournament before going 2-2 at the Central Region Tournament. Cal Giese ascended to the role of staff ace after the loss of Miks, going 9-2 with a 1.86 ERA over 13 starts while striking out 79. Miles Nablo set a single-season record for relief appearances with 28, saving seven games and posting a 2.37 ERA while Dominic Austing struck out 95 hitters over 80.1 innings of work with a 3.36 ERA. Mitch Mallek earned All-Region honors by hitting .350 with 19 doubles while Jackson Goplen led the lineup with a .974 OPS.
Offensive records came down aplenty in 2016 as the Huskies went 43-10, won the NSIC Tournament Championship and again hosted the NCAA Central Region Tournament as the top seed. St. Cloud State annihilated team hitting records with a .363 average, a .612 slugging percentage, a 1.039 OPS, 147 doubles and 96 home runs as Reese Gregory became a four time All-American after smashing a program record 21 home runs. Judd Davis hit .450 with a .539 on-base percentage to earn NSIC Freshman of the Year honors while eight of nine everyday starters hit .308 or better. Zak Hoffman and Zach Hoffmann crushed 14 and 11 home runs respectively, Brandon Arnold added 10 while Karl Sorensen hit .403 with 59 RBI. Sheldon Miks earned NSIC and Central Region Pitcher of the Year honors by going 8-3 with a 1.96 ERA, holding a 79:8 K:BB ratio over 87.1 innings of work. Logan Spitzak recorded six saves with a 1.96 ERA out of the bullpen while Gregory went 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA. Gregory would sign with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks at the conclusion of his Huskies career.
One of the most dominant seasons in the history of NCAA DII baseball was recorded by St. Cloud State in 2015 as the Huskies went 54-5 under the direction of NCBWA DII Coach of the Year Pat Dolan. SCSU won the NSIC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and hosted the Central Region Tournament as the top seed. The Huskies hit .351 as a team with a .948 OPS – all nine everyday starters hit .300 or better led by NSIC and Central Region Player of the Year Michael Jurgella (.399/.482/.680, 1.172 OPS, 16 2B, 14 HR, 68 RBI), Zak Hoffman (.380/.425/.693, 1.118 OPS, 17 2B, 15 HR, 72 RBI) and Kyle Lieser (.407/.487/.525, 1.012 OPS, 10 2B, 3 HR, 33 RBI). Reese Gregory earned Daktronics NCAA DII, Central Region and NSIC Pitcher of the Year honors after going 13-0 with a 1.49 ERA, six saves and 92 strikeouts over 84.2 innings of work. True freshman southpaw Sheldon Miks burst onto the scene as NSIC and Central Region Freshman of the Year, chartering a 10-2 record and a 1.15 ERA over 86.0 innings pitched. Miks, Gregory, Jurgella, Lieser and Eric Loxtercamp were named All-Americans while Jurgella added an ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Glove. Jurgella signed with the Evansville Otters while Garrett Harrison inked a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the conclusion of the season.
2014 saw St. Cloud State go 37-14 and just miss the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies set a new program record with 13 Academic All-NSIC honorees and three Academic All-District selections. Reese Gregory earned his second straight All-American honor by going 10-3 with a 1.30 ERA in 24 appearances out of the Huskies bullpen, earning seven saves in support of another dynamic rotation of Kyle Fischer, Corey Fitzgerald, Garrett Harrison, Chris Kubitz and Logan Spitzak. The Huskies owned a 2.83 staff ERA as catcher Michael Jurgella handled the pitchers exceptionally well – providing a .383 average, a 1.048 OPS, 15 doubles and seven home runs at the plate for a breakout junior season. Eric Loxtercamp added a .368 average and 15 doubles while Garrett Fischer and Reese Gregory each hit .380 or better on the year. Fischer capped the year by being drafted in the 30th round of the MLB Amateur Draft by the Miami Marlins.
SCSU won the 2013 NSIC Regular Season Championship as part of a 37-11 campaign, earning their fourth straight NCAA Central Region Tournament appearance and finishing runner-up for a third time. The pitching staff recorded their lowest ERA of the Dolan era at 2.54 as Kyle Fischer (11-2, 1.81 ERA), Scott Lieser (10-3, 2.71 ERA), Corey Fitzgerald (6-1, 2.49 ERA) and Chris Kubitz (5-0, 0.77 ERA) formed one of the best rotations in the
country. Freshman Reese Gregory earned All-American honors with 10 saves in 21 relief appearances, recording a 1.37 ERA as the closer. Garrett Fischer led the lineup with a .400 average while Sean Borman crushed 20 doubles and drove in 44 with a .367 average and a 1.030 OPS. Lieser added All-American status before he and Borman signed professional contracts with the Milwaukee Brewers and River City Rascals respectively.
The Huskies set a new program record for wins in their fourth-straight season in 2012, going 48-14 and earning runner-up finishes at the NSIC and Central Region Tournaments. Seven players earned All-NSIC honors and six added All-Region honors headlined by Joey Benke, Sean Borman, Phil Imholte, Brian Hansen and Garrett Fischer each posting OPS marks north of 1.000. Imholte stole 31 bags as the Huskies set a new program record with 105 stolen bases, Benke and Hansen each homered 10 times and drove in over 55 runs while Borman led the club with 11 home runs. Scott Lieser and Logan Birr became the program’s first ever pair of 10-game winners headlining a rotation supported by Kyle Fischer and Shawn Riesgraf. The Huskies won 20 straight games at one point during the season and set a new program record with a .970 fielding percentage.
St. Cloud State won their first conference tournament championship in two decades with a 2011 NSIC Tournament Championship, going 43-11 to set a new record for wins in a season. Jordan Smith moved to third base and earned both NSIC and Central Region Player of the Year honors by hitting .382 with 22 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 57 RBI. Scott Lieser anchored a dynamite pitching staff by going 9-0 with a 2.91 ERA, forming a ridiculous pairing at the top of the rotation with Logan Birr as the latter threw 64.0 innings to the tune of a 1.83 ERA. Ryne Schwenke made 21 appearances out of the bullpen with a 1.35 ERA and eight saves while Kyle Fischer, Nick Maiers, Austen Bosch, Chris Kubitz and David Koenig each recorded ERA marks south of 2.50 as the staff pitched to a 2.83 ERA. Smith was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft followed by Brian Hansen’s 49th round selection, both taken by the Cleveland Indians to mark just the second time in program history that two players had been selected in one draft.
In 2010 Dolan’s Huskies went a program-record 41-17 and earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1991, going 4-2 at the Farmington Regional in New Mexico and finishing runner-up. Third baseman Jordan Smith made it back-to-back NSIC Freshman of the Year honors for SCSU by slashing .457/.521/.829 for a 1.349 OPS with 23 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 78 RBI while stealing 17 bases. Left fielder Joey Benke added a .428/.510/.800 triple-slash for a 1.310 OPS while bashing 25 doubles, eight triples and 13 home runs alongside 66 RBI to anchor the lineup. David Deminsky earned All-American honors along with Smith, chartering a 9-4 record and a 3.16 ERA while striking out 107 hitters over 99.2 innings of work before being selected in the 44th round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft by the Minnesota Twins – the first Husky to be drafted since 1992 – while Nate Hammes inked a professional contract with the St. Paul Saints. Righthander Nick Anderson went 8-4 with a 3.33 ERA, punching out 88 over 92.0 frames to give the Huskies their fourth All-Region selection alongside Deminsky, Smith and Benke.
2009 saw the Huskies set a new program record with 36 wins as part of a 36-18 season. NSIC Freshman of the Year Logan Birr burst onto the scene by going 8-1 with a 2.93 ERA, starting 11 games and striking out 72 hitters over 61.1 innings of work. David Deminsky earned All-Region notice alongside Birr as the duo anchored a revitalized rotation featuring Tim Scott and Pat DeLaHunt. Rightfielder Mic Johnson blasted 17 doubles and nine homers while driving in 53 and producing a 1.119 OPS while third baseman Sam Radbil and catcher Nate Hammes each drove in 40-plus runs and posted OPS marks of .960 or better. Freshman first baseman Joey Benke hit .406 with nine doubles and five home runs while Lauren Green homered eight times with a .950 OPS at the DH spot.
In just his first season at the helm of St. Cloud State, Dolan guided the Huskies to their first winning season since 2001 with a 27-23-1 record in 2008 for a third place regular season finish. The Huskies improved their run production by nearly a run and a half per game while dropping their team ERA by almost two full runs. Shortstop Kyle Resser flourished in his final campaign, providing 17 doubles, 10 home runs and a .416 average before signing with the St. Paul Saints. On the mound, Tim Scott and David Deminsky became the first Huskies duo to each start at least seven games and post ERA marks below 5.00 since Matt Lisbeth and Matt Beyer both did so in 2001 – a span of seven seasons.
Pat Dolan was named head coach of St. Cloud State Baseball on June 15, 2007.
Prior to joining St. Cloud State, Dolan spent six seasons leading NAIA program Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota, becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 181-111 career record and was inducted into the Dakota State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. He guided a quick turnaround for the Trojans, leading his club to a 15-22 record in his debut 2002 season – tripling their win total from the three prior seasons combined (5-99) – and reaching the regional rankings for the first time in 18 years. His 2003 Dakota State team set a school record with 33 wins and won their first ever NAIA Regional Tournament to advance to the program’s first Super Regional, closing the season ranked nationally for the first time in program history.
After playing their most difficult schedule in school history in 2004, Dakota State won their second NAIA Region III Tournament in 2005 and went 34-16 to break their own record for wins in a season. The 2006 Trojans earned a No. 16 ranking in the NAIA Top-25 while going 34-16 for the second straight campaign. In Dolan’s final season at Dakota State, the Trojans finished with yet another program record 38 wins as part of a 38-12 campaign, reaching No. 7 in the NAIA national polls.
Dolan spent 1999 through 2001 as the head coach at NCAA DII program Belmont Abbey in Belmont, North Carolina. He completely revitalized a club that hadn’t enjoyed a winning season in over 30 years, breaking that streak with a 39-18 CVAC Regular Season Championship in 2001 to earn a No. 26 final ranking in the NCAA polls while being named CVAC Coach of the Year.
In 1997 and 1998, Dolan served as the associate head coach at NCAA DII institution St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
At the age of 25, Dolan became one of the youngest coaches in college baseball at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Dolan began his collegiate coaching career with 21 consecutive victories and earned a .761 winning percentage with a 54-17 record over his two seasons in Grand Rapids. 12 players from his first recruiting class went on to play college baseball at four-year institutions while Itasca climbed as high as No. 10 in the NJCAA poll and earned two straight Northern Minnesota League Championships.
Dolan began his coaching career at his alma mater in Cold Spring as the head coach of American Legion Post 428 and assistant coach with ROCORI He earned a 204-81 overall record and helped his two teams to a combined seven league championships.
Not just a record-setting baseball player, Dolan earned All-American honors at Iowa Western College for Bob Nowaczyk and set career records with a .483 batting average, 92 RBI, 60 walks drawn and 47 stolen bases before closing his collegiate career at Florida Atlantic under Kevin Cooney.
A three-sport standout at ROCORI, Dolan was a six-time All-Conference honoree and 10-time letterwinner while playing for Bob Brink, Jim Thelen and Tom Bergner. He was named Central Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year and participated in the Minnesota State High School League’s All-Star games for both baseball and basketball.
A native of Cold Spring, Minnesota, Pat resides in St. Cloud with his wife Jade.
Pat Dolan's Record at St. Cloud State
| Year | Overall | Conference | NCAA Regional |
| 2008 | 27-23-1 | 13-12 NCC/3rd place | - |
| 2009 | 36-18 | 15-13 NSIC/7th | - |
| 2010 | 41-17 | 23-9 NSIC/3rd place | 4-2/2nd place |
| 2011 | 43-11 | 26-6 NSIC/2nd place/NSIC Tournament Champs | 1-2 |
| 2012 | 48-12 | 26-6 NSIC/2nd place | 3-2/2nd place |
| 2013 | 37-11 | 19-3 NSIC/1st place | 3-2/2nd place |
| 2014 | 37-14 | 24-9 NSIC/3rd place | - |
| 2015 | 54-5 | 31-3 NSIC/1st place/NSIC Tournament Champs | 3-2/2nd place |
| 2016 | 43-10 | 23-8 NSIC/3rd place/NSIC Tournament Champs | 1-2/4th place |
| 2017 | 41-18 | 27-11 NSIC/3rd place | 2-2/3rd place |
| 2018 | 30-17 | 21-8 NSIC/3rd place | 1-2/4th place |
| 2019 | 41-14 | 26-8 NSIC/3rd place | 1-2/3rd place |
| 2020 | 9-5 | 0-0 NSIC (Season cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak) | - |
| 2021 | 22-14 | 18-9 NSIC/3rd place | - |
| 2022 | 37-13 | 28-5 NSIC/2nd place | - |
| 2023 | 33-20 | 20-10 NSIC/4th place/NSIC Tournament Champs | 1-2/4th place |
| 2024 | 32-19 | 28-11 NSIC/4th place | - |
| Totals | 611-243-1 | 368-131 NSIC |
Pat Dolan's Record at Dakota State, Belmont Abbey and Itasca
| School | Year | Record |
| Dakota State | 2007 | 38-12 |
| Dakota State | 2006 | 34-16 |
| Dakota State | 2005 | 34-16 |
| Dakota State | 2004 | 27-22 |
| Dakota State | 2003 | 33-23 |
| Dakota State | 2002 | 15-22 |
| Belmont Abbey | 2001 | 39-18 |
| Belmont Abbey | 2000 | 19-31 |
| Belmont Abbey | 1999 | 8-31 |
| Itasca CC | 1995-96 | 54-17 |
