Utah Valley University Men's Baseball

The Wolverines battled through injuries during the 2026 season, finishing 18-36. Under Rasmussen's direction, the Wolverines produced two first-team All-WAC selections, as Kaden Carpenter and Hunter Katschke each earned the vote of fellow coaches. Katschke set UVU’s single-season home run record with 22 during the season. The Utah Valley offense set new Top 10 season highs in Slugging, on-base, stolen bases, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases, and walks. The number of players signing professional deals continues to climb under his guidance: Chance Wallace was the first from the 2026 class to sign, with four players signing during his tenure as head coach, and a total of 14 players have inked contracts during his time in Orem. In his first season at the helm of Utah Valley baseball, Nate Rasmussen guided the Wolverines to a historic year, leading the program to 33 Wins—the most ever by a first-year head coach at UVU. Under his leadership, the Wolverines captured their second WAC Tournament title and earned a berth in the Eugene Regional  where the team claimed its first NCAA Tournament win over No. 12 Oregon. UVU’s offense flourished in his debut season, ranking among the nation’s best. The Wolverines finished fourth in the country in runs scored (458), sixth in hits (576), and were top 11 nationally in RBI (421), total bases (940), and triples (20). The team also led the Western Athletic Conference in at least ten offensive categories, including batting average (.312), slugging percentage (.510), on base percentage (.422), home runs (72), and runs scored (458).  Beyond team success, Rasmussen has helped players advance to the next level. In his first season alone, CJ Colyer, Landon Frei, and Carston Herman each signed professional contracts continuing UVU’s tradition of player development and advancement. Nate Rasmussen was named Utah Valley's fourth coach in their Division I history on July 12, 2024. "Nate Rasmussen has earned the opportunity to lead our baseball program," Sumsion said. "This was an extremely deep and competitive candidate pool due to our upward trajectory and the opportunity to win at Utah Valley. We have seen firsthand the impressive work that Coach Rasmussen has put into helping construct this program over the past three seasons. He is a relationship builder with a proven track record of success in NCAA DI and Major League Baseball. We look forward to the continued ascent of UVU baseball under his leadership and are thrilled to see us compete for WAC Championships with Coach Rasmussen at the helm." Rasmussen has served Coach Smith’s staff since he arrived during the 2021 summer.  Originally named Recruiting Coordinator, Rasmussen was promoted to Associate Head Coach following the 2023 season.  During the 2023 season, Utah Valley reached unmatched success on the field by winning 34 games, making the biggest winning percentage turnaround in the country from 2021, in which they went 10-47. In 2023, Rasmussen landed on D1Baseball’s “100 Assistant Coaches Athletic Directors Should Know”, as well as getting him an invite to the Surefire Forum, where only top assistants in the county are invited.    The 2024 season will mark the third year at UVU for Rasmussen, who is responsible for bringing in 23 newcomers to the roster for the 2022-2023 season from major junior colleges on the West Coast, high schools around the country, and other D1 programs. Rasmussen was involved in coaching First Team All-Conference infielder Danny Dickinson and led UVU to have the best fielding percentage in school history. During the 2022 season, Rasmussen coached the UVU infielders to the fifth-highest fielding percentage in the UVU DI era of .967 and the fourth-fewest errors. He coached Mick Madsen through a position change from the infield's left side to the right side. Madsen recorded 125 assists and was responsible for 30 double plays. Kyle Coburn added 92 assists on the season with 19 fielding double plays. In the summer of 2022, Utah Valley saw their first incoming player sign a professional baseball contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.  Andrew Walling was one of the most sought-after players in the country as a 6’6 LHP up to 99 mph who was transferring to UVU from Mississippi State.  Other notable commits were two players who played on teams that made the NJCAA World Series, a Friday night starter from the PAC 12, and many other players with notable accolades that should transition well to UVU in the years to come. “Nate is a Utah native with an extensive resume. He has recruited the Western United States in his time as a recruiting coordinator at Pacific University and in the WAC at Northern Colorado,” said Smith. “Growing up in Utah, Coach Rasmussen will be able to help us establish our program as a destination in the state. He comes to us from coaching in the Minnesota Twins organization, where his experience will bring great insight to our player development.” Rasmussen is a Utah native as he grew up in Sandy and played his high school ball at Bingham High School. He then went on to play collegiately at Pacific University in Oregon where he was a three-time all-conference performer for the Boxers. He began his coaching career as the hitting coach at the University of Puget Sound from 2012-14 and then moved back to his alma mater as he served as Pacific University’s associate head coach from 2014-16. Rasmussen then moved into the Division I ranks at fellow WAC foe Northern Colorado where he served as the program’s recruiting coordinator from 2017-19. He then most recently worked as a hitting coach in the Minnesota Twins organization from 2019-21 and spent time with the Gulf Coast League Twins as well as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. During his time with the Minnesota Twins, Rasmussen worked at the Advanced Single-A level and helped to perfect the swings of a number of professional athletes in the Twins organization. He spent the 2019 season working primarily with the Gulf Coast Twins and the 2020 and start of the 2021 season with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.  Prior to working with the Minnesota Twins organization, Rasmussen spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Northern Colorado. During his time in Greeley, he also served as the team's hitting coach, outfield coach, third base coach, and helped run the offensive gameplay on the field.  In 2018, he was key in helping Northern Colorado's offense burst on to the scene as one of the best in Division I baseball. Rasmussen’s offense posted a top 50 ranking in almost every offensive category that season including BABIP (.388,1st), Runs Per Game (7.06,17th), On Base Percentage (.392, 28th), Batting Average (.295, 28th), Doubles Per Game (2.02, 32nd), and Hit by Pitches (76, 32nd). The Bears truly did this as a team, as there were 11 players with 5+ extra-base hits, 8 players with 17+ walks, 6 players with .425+ on-base percentages, 10 players with 20+ runs and 12 players with a home run. That year, UNC also scored almost half of their runs on the year with two outs (3.28 per game). Often stated, Colorado gets a name for exaggerated offense because of the elevation, but the 2018 Bears were just as good away from Jackson Field. They averaged 6.57 Runs Per Game on the road, which included 5.22 walks, 2.91 extra-base hits and over 10 hits per game on the road. The Bears offensive approach was key to winning their most games since joining the WAC in 2013 (29). In 2017, Rasmussen's first season as Northern Colorado's hitting coach, the Bears had their best offensive year since joining the WAC.  The Bears tallied their most runs, hits, doubles, home runs, and RBIs. The explosive Bear offense also recorded its highest team batting average and on-base percentage since becoming a WAC member.  The 2017 Bear offense featured 4 different players with double-digit doubles for the first time since 2011, and 13 different players with a home run for the first time since 2009.   Rasmussen spent the previous four seasons as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. While at Pacific, Rasmussen worked with a variety of defensive position groups, was the hitting coach, and also ran the offense and served as third base coach. In addition, Rasmussen was also the head coach of Pacific’s junior varsity program.   During his time at Pacific, Rasmussen signed five all-conference players and one all-region player in three recruiting classes. The 2016 Boxer offense combined to break eight individual school records, lead all of Division III baseball in runs per game, and senior right fielder Walker Olis was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 29th round, the first Pacific ballplayer drafted since 1991. Rasmussen has strong recruiting ties in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, and his home state of Utah.   In the summer of 2015, Rasmussen was the head coach of the Portland Lobos in the NWCBL. He also spent time as a hitting coach for the Boys of Summer Baseball Club out of Bellevue, Wash. Rasmussen is also an established clinician who has served as a guest instructor and Stanford University, University of Washington, Head First, and Top 96 baseball camps. As a player, Rasmussen was a three-time All-Conference selection at Pacific. He was selected as a first-team All-NWC selection at second base in 2011 and was the team captain of Pacific’s 2012 NWC championship team. Rasmussen played his prep baseball at perennial baseball powerhouse Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. He was a first-team all-state selection, leading Bingham to a second-place state finish in 2008. Rasmussen graduated from Pacific University in 2012 with a degree in business with an emphasis in marketing. He and his wife, Alissa reside in Utah County with their two boys Reggie and Royal.  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT RASMUSSEN “In modern baseball, there is so much data and technology available at our fingertips. However, very little of that is usable for the young athlete without the right coach to guide and interpret information along the way. Nate Rasmussen is one of the top coaches in the business at doing just that. He has a proven track record of distilling complicated concepts and information into relatable terms, unique drills, and individualized plans. His ability to blend old and new school baseball concepts has helped him develop a strong history of improving individual players and overall teams across multiple levels. Eddie found the perfect local product to bring back home to Utah.”   -Kai Correa San Francisco Giants Bench Coach    

Mitchell enters his second season at Utah Valley as the Director of Baseball Operations. He coordinates the day-to-day operations of the program. In his first season at UVU, the Wolverines won their second WAC Tournament title and made an appearance in the second NCAA Regional. His organization and coordination were essential to helping the program earn its first NCAA Tournament win over the host and #12-seeded Oregon Ducks. "Kevin has a passion for our sport, and his desire to grow radiates from the first time you speak with him. He is going to bring passion and dedication to our operations position. We are very excited to welcome Kevin to The Valley!" said Coach Rasmussen.  Mitchell brings a wealth of experience to the Wolverine program. He played at Rowan College of South Jersey from 2010-2013, where he helped his team win the 2013 NJCAA national title before starting his coaching career. He was an assistant coach at Summit High School in Breckenridge, Colorado from 2017-2024, while in the last two summers, he went north of the border to Canada, where he was named WCBL Coach of the Year in 2023, and led the North Division in the 2024 WCBL All-Star Game while leading the Medicine Hat Mavericks, a collegiate summer team in the WCBL.  Coach Mitchell is joined in Orem by his wife, Katie, and dog, River. He enjoys spending time outdoors, snowboarding, hiking, camping, and rafting.  

Valencia enters his fourth season with Utah Valley Baseball, where he will oversee all aspects of strength and conditioning in the program. He will also serve as a performance coach for the players, specializing in areas such as sleep, nutrition, stress, and time management. While in Orem, his guidance has paid dividends by helping 11 players reach the professional ranks, including Casey Anderson, who became UVU’s highest draft selection in the D1 era when the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 11th Round. The Wolverines have made two WAC Championship appearances since his arrival, and appeared in their first NCAA regional since 2016, where they earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory. He has helped six first-team All-WAC selections, three second-team All-WAC selections, and two who received All-American honors.   A college baseball player and eventual graduate of the University of Dubuque, Valencia was an assistant strength and conditioning coach in the athletic department even while he was still on the baseball team.  He also worked in the strength and conditioning department at the University of Colorado.  Most notably, he spent time at Push Performance, a baseball-specific development gym in Arizona, where he helped train numerous professional baseball players. This experience, blended with his passion for strength and conditioning, makes Valencia one of the top baseball-specific strength coaches in the country.   Before completing his studies at the University of Dubuque, Valencia played junior college baseball in the state of Washington.  His sophomore season was spent at Skagit Valley, JC.  He spent his freshman season at Lower Columbia JC, where he first connected with Coach Eddie Smith, the head coach at LCJC.  Smith had high praise for Valencia upon his hiring, noting the importance of Valencia’s role in building the program, “Strength and conditioning is an area that our program finds to be a critical part of our player development. Valencia comes to Utah Valley highly recommended by some of the top strength and conditioning coaches in baseball.  He will lead our daily strength and conditioning program in addition to being a great resource for our players in areas such as nutrition and overall performance.”