University of Minnesota, Duluth Women's Softball

Nat Wagner became the softball program's fifth head coach in August of 2024 and will guide the Bulldogs in his second season at the helm. Thirty-nine wins. A sweep of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season and postseason champions on their home turf in nearly a decade. Two NSIC First Team selections and a NSIC All-Defensive Team standout. Four single-season records broken. And... a postseason run that went all the way to the NSIC Semifinals. Highlights his first season at the helm of the program. Wagner's Bulldogs posted a 39-17 record and finished fifth in the NSIC with an 18-8 record. The 39 wins is tied for the most wins in program history for a first-year head coach, matching Lynn Anderson from the 2022 season. Wagner came to the Bulldogs with a wealth of coaching experience under his belt, including having spent the last two seasons at the University of St. Thomas, where he helped the program transition from NCAA Division III to Division I. With the Tommies, Wagner was charged with compliance, recruiting, and preparing the team for competition. As a defensive coach, he helped the UST defense improve from eighth to the third highest fielding percentage in Summit League play this past season. Wagner also served as the primary academic liaison to the Center for Student Success, and helped the team record the highest UST team GPA of 3.65.   Prior to joining the Tommies staff, Wagner served for three years as head coach at Minot State University. In Minot, he helped the Beavers to three consecutive winning seasons and an NSIC Tournament berth in 2021. MSU also led the nation in stolen bases in 2021 and 2022, all while the Beavers led the NSIC in All-Academic Team honorees and won the Beaver Cup for outstanding team culture in 2022.   Wagner spent three years at another NSIC member – Augustana University – from 2016-2019 as an assistant coach where he was named both the NFCA 2019 Assistant Coach of the Year and to the NFCA 2019 National Coaching Staff of the Year. That season, Wagner helped lead the Viking program to consecutive NCAA Regional Tournaments and a 2019 National Championship. As a hitting instructor and first base coach, he helped lead the team to school records in most major offensive categories, including slugging, home runs, runs and stolen bases.   An assistant coach at Valley City State University from 2015-16, Wagner was the head coach at New Prague High School from 2012-2015 and Named the Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 and the Section Coach of the Year in 2015. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the Tommies for one season, helping them to a 2012 MIAC Conference Championship.   From 2007 through 2016, Wagner was also the President and Director of Player Development for the Minnesota Renegades/Midwest Speed, a softball club in Minnesota that competes perennially at national levels in U-13-U-18 age groups. Wagner led teams to PGF Premier and Platinum Nationals for six straight years, finishing as high as second and ninth in the country.   Wagner graduated from Carleton College with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin and English, and has earned a Master of Arts in Classical Languages from the University of Michigan. He also has Master of Arts in English from both Middlebury College and Minnesota State University, Mankato.  

Carly Brousek enters her third season with the Bulldogs for the 2024-25 season.  In her time with the Bulldogs, Brousek has helped lead the Bulldogs to their first conference tournament championship in 22 years and a birth into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019. She has also overseen a pitching staff that boasted a 1.95 staff ERA during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. She has also coached the 2023 all central region first team pitcher, 2023 NSIC conference pitcher of the year, 2 time NFCA pitcher of the week, 2024 all central region second team pitcher, and 2024 first team all conference pitcher. Brousek has not only seen success in the pitchers she has worked with, but has helped coach 6 other Bulldogs to first team all conference awards between the 2023/2024 and 3 second team all conference selections.  Brousek came to Duluth with more than three years of collegiate coaching experience split between UW-Platteville and Northwest Missouri State University. While at UW-Platteville, Brousek worked with hitters and helped the team to a batting average of .307. She was also part of a coaching staff that saw 8 players earn All-Conference recognition, as well as one Academic All-American.  As a player, Brousek suited up as a catcher for NSIC opponent Northern State University from 2014-2018. During her time with the Wolves, Brousek was a four-time NFCA Academic All-American honoree. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northern State University with a degree in English and is currently finishing her Masters degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute.   

Rilee Dawson enters her second year at UMD as the Bulldogs' Pitching Coach. In her first year, 2024-2025, Dawson helped the Bulldogs to a top ten Central Regional ranking and saw the pitching staff make great strides. Senior Alison Luoma set career bests in wins, saves and strikeouts while Junior Allyssa Williams set career marks in wins, ERA and strikeouts while garnering an NSIC Gold Glove.  Before coming to UMD Dawson, an Eveleth, Minnesota native, served for seven seasons as the Head Softball Coach at St. Scholastica 2015- 2022 and before that had worked mainly with the pitchers in her time as an assistant. Among several standouts for the Saints in the circle, Dawson coached 2013 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Rookie of the Year Rendi Johnson and 2014 UMAC Rookie of the Year of the Chrisi Mizera, who was also named the 2015 UMAC Player of the Year.   In her first six seasons as Head Coach, she has led the Saints to four UMAC regular season titles and one NCAA Regional Tournament appearance in 2017. Also during that time, she has coached UMAC Players of the Year Kara Warren (2016), Alexa Bremer (2018), Maggie Schley (2019), Olivia Howe (2021), as well as, three UMAC Rookie of the Years in Schley (2016), Toni Bishop (2017) and Grace Hadlich (2021).   In 2021, Dawson coached Olivia Howe to one of the best seasons in program history. Howe broke single-season program records for hits (66), batting average (.545), slugging percentage (.950) and tied the single-season record for RBIs (56). She led the team in doubles (17), triples (4) and home runs (8). Howe was named the fourth All-American in program history, earning Third Team accolades for the NFCA. Howe was also named the UMAC Player and Pitcher of the Year.   Dawson was named the UMAC Coach of the Year in her first season of 2016 and then again in 2021. Under Dawson, the Saints won 30 games in 2021 for the first time under her watch. The team achieved its second-highest ranking in the NFCA Division III poll at 17th. The team's 32 wins tied for the fourth-most in program history.   Prior to her time as an assistant, Dawson had a successful four-year playing career for the Saints. She was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Second Team All-American in 2007. That year, she was also named the UMAC Player of the Year and was on the UMAC All-Defensive Team. She was a three-time All-UMAC choice. Dawson holds the NCAA Division III record for consecutive at-bats with a home run at six. She was named to the program's 25th anniversary team in 2008.   In 2018, Dawson became the third softball player inducted into the St. Scholastica Athletics Hall of Fame.   Dawson earned her Bachelor's Degree in Health Science from St. Scholastica in 2006 and later earned her Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy from the college in 2008. Dawson is a member of the NFCA as a 2-star Master Coach. She recently earned her Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Change.   Dawson has also been a visible presence, coaching with local travel ball programs - the Twin Ports Rampage and the Red Corvettes 16U softball team in the offseason.  Off the field, Dawson is also a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, and she had served as an instructor in the physical therapy department at St. Scholastica.   She was appointed to the NCAA Division III Softball Committee in 2020.