University of North Dakota Men's Baseball

Dodson ushered the team into a new era in 2014 as UND joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), the first auto-bid league in North Dakota's Division I transition. A highlight of the team's first year in the conference was a three-game sweep of Northern Colorado in a series played in Bismarck, N.D. It was the first conference sweep of an opponent for UND since moving to Division I. The team retained bragging rights with in-state rival North Dakota State as North Dakota won a pair of close ballgames (4-3 in Fargo, 3-2 in Grand Forks). Patrick Riewer, who would become UND's first Academic All-American in the program's history since 1978, threw a complete game in the win at NDSU in his first start on the mound. His 2013 team overcame a brutal schedule that saw it play 31 consecutive games away from home to start the season. Once the weather cooperated for UND to play a home game, it took advantage by winning 10 of its final 13 games en route to a five seed in the Great West Conference Tournament. Once there, UND won its first two games at the postseason tournament for its third straight season. Included in the wins was a victory over three-time defending league champion Utah Valley, who had not lost a game in the tournament's history. UND then defeated top-seed Northern Colorado before dropping a semifinal to eventual-champion Houston Baptist and losing a rematch with UNC in the loser's bracket.. The 2013 campaign featured the first winning season in the Division I era and a 25-22-1 overall record. Its 25 wins were the most since 1998 and two of UND's wins found the record books for most runs scored. North Dakota scored a dozen runs in the ninth inning en route to a 23-7 win over Northern Colorado (April 14) and less than a month later, UND piled-up 25 runs in a rout of New Jersey Tech (25-5, May 10). Both of those run totals rank in the top 10 in school history for a single game. The 2012 campaign featured a young roster with 14 freshmen that made a run in the Great West Conference Tournament, defeating its first two opponents. This group etched a 19-37 overall record, coming on at the end of the season to finish in third place at the GWC tourney. Dodson helped his club overcome a shaky start to the 2011 season with a strong finish to the season, winning six of its last 10 games. A nice run on their home field at the Great West Conference Tournament capped that stretch . No. 7 seed UND upset No. 2 seed Northern Colorado and No. 3 seed Houston Baptist to reach the semifinals, but the magical run ended there as UND dropped two straight to conclude their season.  In his second season, his squad increased its win total by five games to 19 and posted a 13-15 mark in Great West action to place fifth in the inaugural league standings.   Junior Jake Magner picked up four National Player of the Week honors during Dodsons second season -- the first such national honors in program history. The Sioux slugger also earned first team All-Great West accolades after breaking the single-season home run record with 21.  One of the team highlights came at the Metrodome in early April when UND took three of four from rival North Dakota State. It was the first time the teams had met on the diamond since 2005. Dodson inherited a club that had won 14 games in its final DII season and the first-year skipper matched that win total in UNDs first year as an independent at the highest level of collegiate baseball.  UND defeated such established programs as Creighton and Missouri State, plus won its first Division I series at Southern Illinois. First baseman Jake Magner earned first team All-Independent honors and three Sioux were named to the All-Independent Academic Team (CF Josh Lagein, SS Josh Nelson and C Andrew Sadler). Dodson will lead a much more experienced squad into year two of the transition, which will also be the teams first as Great West Conference members. Prior to his stint in Grand Forks, Dodson spent five years as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State, an NCAA Division I school in Cape Girardeau, Mo. At SEMO, Dodson served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach Mark Hogan, who is Southeasts all-time winningest baseball coach.  Southeast Missouri States 2008 recruiting class was ranked 91st in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, and Dodson recruited and signed three All-Americans Brad Smith, Nick Harris and Jim Klocke since joining the Southeast coaching staff in 2004. In 2008, the Redhawks finished 26-26 overall and 12-13 (sixth) in the Ohio Valley Conference and made it to the OVC tournament championship round before falling to Eastern Illinois. Prior to his stint at Southeast Missouri, Dodson spent seven seasons as the head coach at Martin Methodist College, an NAIA school in Pulaski, Tenn. Dodson produced a 190-144 record at Martin Methodist, including four winning seasons in his last five. While at Martin Methodist, Dodson coached four players into the professional ranks. During his tenure, seven players were named All-Americans, eight all-region, and 35 all-conference. In 2000, his pitching staff led the NAIA with a national-best 3.11 earned run average, and pitcher John Ogiltree was named TranSouth pitcher of the year and a first-team All-American. That same year, Dodsons team broke the school record for wins, finishing with a 42-16 mark.  As the head coach at Martin Methodist, his teams broke nearly every school record and in 2003 his team qualified for the NAIA Region XI postseason tournament with a 35-20 record. Before Martin Methodist, Dodson was head coach at Bevill State Community College for two seasons (1995-96). Dodson also served as an associate scout with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2001-2003. Three of his players from Bevill went on to play professional baseball and 12 went on to a four-year program. Thirty-eight of his former players have gone on to become coaches. Dodson earned his associates degree in physical education from Bevill State in 1989, his bachelors degree in the same field from Livingston University in 1993, and his masters degree from Emporia State in 2002.  

DeVillers primary role is serving as the infield coach, as well as assisting with hitters, acting as the clubs first base coach, and is the recruiting coordinator for the program. The offense was again a strength in 2015 as UND finished second in the Western Athletic Conference in team batting at .280 as a club. Two of the league's top five hitters were from North Dakota (Tyler Follis, .404, and Jeff Campbell .365). Campbell would also lead the conference in homers with 11 and was second in RBI (48). Both of those players moved on to professional careers upon graduation with Follis being selected in the 28th round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies and Campbell inking a deal with the Atlanta Braves organization following his imressive win at the 2015 College Home Run Derby. Follis re-broke his own school record for hits in a season (76) and set a new mark for career hits as well (240). Campbell left the school second all-time at UND in total bases (373), RBI (162) and doubles (43) and fourth in homers (32). He was a First Team All-WAC selection after a standout senior season that saw him collect the school's first cycle in its Division I era. in 2013, senior shortstop Kris Kwak set the UND career mark for walks in 2013 in a solid all-around effort by the infield. Patrick Vandoorne made just two errors all season at second base and third baseman Ryan Reese was named to the All-Great West Conference Second Team. The 2012 edition saw freshman shortstop Tyler Follis bang out 74 hits to break the school's single season record. First baseman Jeff Campbell became the school's first Division I All-America honoree when he took home Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America accolades. Campbell hammered a dozen homers with 47 RBI and a .326 average and was an All-GWC First Teamer. Third baseman Kyle Bolander was a second team honoree. In 2011, first baseman Jake Magner concluded his career as one of the top defenders in school history. He made only three errors over his past two seasons in 764 chances. Magner also climbed the all-time charts in career home runs (second; 39). DeVillers was also instrumental in the development of sophomore second baseman Kris Kwak, who earned All-Great West second team honors after raising his batting average 143 points from his freshman season. The 2010 season was another banner one for the UND infielders under DeVillers' tutelage. Shortstop Josh Nelson set the programs single-season assist record with 168 and second baseman Jabby Bakhit put together the second-highest total with 164. First baseman Jake Magner established himself as the top all-around first baseman in the Great West as he took home first team all-league honors after boasting a .996 fielding percentage (two errors in 453 chances) and setting a single-season school record with 21 home runs.  Nelson broke the assist record he set in 2009 and Magner backed up his all-independent honors as a sophomore with a brilliant campain in the teams first in Great West play. During the 2008 season, the Fighting Siouxs last in NCAA Division II, a pair of his infielders took home the only two All-NCC awards on the squad as first baseman Chris Gulsvig and second baseman Jabby Bakhit were both honored. Prior to joining the UNDx coaching staff he served as the assistant coach at Grand Forks Red River High School from 2004-2007.  During his four years there the team made two state tournament appearances. DeVillers, a former third baseman and graduate of UND with a bachelors degree in social sciences, was a two-time All-NCC selection (01 and 03) during his playing days.  He ranks in the top 10 in on UNDs all-time list in runs (10th, 127), triples (seventh, 5), home runs (tied for sixth, 31), runs batted in (seventh, 136), total bases (sixth, 297), and walks (sixth, 84).  A Grand Forks native and Red River High School graduate, he was an honorable mention USA Today All-American in 1999.  That same year he helped lead the Grand Forks Royals to the State American Legion Championship, while setting single season and career records in home runs and runs batted in, and also being named North Dakota Non-School Athlete of the Year by the North Dakota Associated Press.