Kassidy Gaines Returns to St. Cloud State Baseball as Assistant Coach
6/11/2026 10:01:00 AM | Baseball
Gaines returns to Huskies after three seasons leading Salem in West Virginia
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Baseball head coach Pat Dolan announced the addition of Kassidy Gaines as an assistant coach for the 2026-27 season on Thursday. Gaines, who was a graduate assistant for the Huskies from 2019-20, returns to St. Cloud with 10 seasons of experience coaching at the Division-II level, including a successful three-year stint as the head coach of Salem (W.V.).
"We are extremely fortunate and excited to bring on a coach of Kassidy's caliber and experience," said Dolan. "His 10 years of D-II coaching and résumé speaks for itself. He's not only a quality coach, but flat out a great human being who checks all the boxes that we were looking for. Above all else, his loyalty and commitment to our program is what set him apart from other candidates and will make for a great addition to our coaching staff."
"I want to thank Dr. Tomso, Holly Schreiner and the entire search committee for the process and belief in me to be the right fit for the position on Coach Dolan's staff and the Huskies athletic department," said Gaines. "I am thrilled to return and looking forward to giving back to a university and a department who gave me so much as a young coach. I also want to thank Coach Dolan for believing in me to do the job that needs to be done as one of his assistants. This is a special place and one of the most renowned programs in the country and the opportunity to work alongside Coach Dolan, Coach Shoen and Coach Moone again to continue building on that is something my family and I look extremely forward to."
Gaines has spent the past six seasons at Salem, where he served as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2021-23 and the head coach from 2024-26. He led the Tigers to a 93-62 record over three seasons, set program single season win records twice (32-18 in 2024, 35-19 in 2026) and guided Salem to the 2025 USCAA Small College World Series championship. Under his guidance, seven players earned all-region recognition, including Mackenzie Wainwright who was named the 2024 D2Baseball Freshman of the Year while earning D2CCA All-America First Team honors. Known and highly respected for his work with pitchers, Gaines helped Salem's staff achieve national statistical rankings and numerous program records, including ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio. In the classroom, Gaines' Tigers maintained six consecutive semesters of a 3.4 cumulative GPA or higher.
Prior to his time in Salem, Gaines spent his first two seasons with the Huskies during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, serving as a graduate assistant coach in charge of the pitching staff. In both seasons on staff, the Huskies' pitching staff ranked among the top-five in the NSIC in numerous statistical categories and led the conference in ERA, shutouts and strikeouts in 2019. During his time at SCSU, he mentored 2019 All-NSIC First Team and NCBWA Honorable Mention All-American Dominic Austing and Philadelphia Phillies 2021 draft selectee Matt Osterberg. Gaines began his collegiate coaching career with Bemidji State (2017-18) as a pitching coach.
In 2016, Gaines finished a full season of professional baseball with the Utica Unicorns of the USPBL. He was among a league leader in several categories including finishing second in innings pitched (60.2) and wins (five). Gaines also had a short stint with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association in 2015 and with the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League prior to his season in the USPBL.
A native of Twin Falls, Idaho, Gaines competed collegiately for Grays Harbor College and Northern State. He completed his bachelor's degree in marketing from Northern State University and his master's degree in educational administrations and leadership from St. Cloud State University.
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