Dan Nessler enters his eighth season as the head softball coach in 2023-24. During Nessler’s first seven seasons, the Vikings have qualified for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) postseason tournament every year (aside from 2020 due to the cancelation of the season). Prior to Nessler’s arrival, the Vikings last advanced to postseason play in 2013.
The 2023 season was one to remember for the Vikings, who rattled off 23 straight wins during the regular season en rout to a school record 30 wins. The Vikings went 20-1 during UMAC play to take the regular season title, with the 20 wins also being a new program best. Emily Doyle, Kaija Mork, and Kayla Senne all earned All-Region honors with Senne and Doyle also earning major conference awards. Nessler was named UMAC Coach of the the Year in 2023.
In 2022, Nessler's Vikings finished the season 29-16 overall and 16-5 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and won the UMAC Tournament. The UMAC Championship marked the first time since 2013 that the program accomplished that feat and also gave them their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Bethany had two All-Region players recognized in 2022 in Kaija Mork and Zoe Kinakin, and also had an CoSIDA Academic All-American in Eden Ambrose.
The 2019 team won the first UMAC regular season championship in program history. The Vikings finished with a record-setting 27 wins and advance to the UMAC Tournament for the third-straight year. In 2018, Bethany finished with an overall record of 17-19 and an impressive UMAC record of 10-6 to advance to the UMAC Tournament.
The 2019 team earned an NFCA for having a team GPA of 3.50.
Nessler comes to the Vikings with a heralded resume as a fastpitch player and coach over the past 30-plus years. Most recently, in the fall of 2017, Nessler was inducted into the Minnesota State-Mankato Hall of Fame. In 2016, Nessler was inducted into the 2016 Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame. He was also a 2009 inductee in the International Softball Congress (ISC) Hall of Fame. Nessler has played on three ISC World Championship teams with Penn Corp., while being named to the All-World Tournament team four times. Nessler also played in four United States Olympic Festivals. Locally, the St. James, Minn., native was a mainstay with Happy Chef fastpitch softball teams for 14 years in the 1980s and 90s.
Nessler's 2013 and 2015 ASA 18U Boys teams won the national championships, and he’s has been an assistant coach for the 2015 and ’16 ASA/USA men’s 19U softball teams that have played internationally.
Under Nessler
All-Conference: 11
Conference Rookies of the Year: 3
Conference Defensive Team: 10
| Season |
|
| 2017 |
15-24 |
| 2018 |
17-19 |
| 2019 |
27-12 |
| 2020 |
5-9 |
| 2021 |
21-17 |
| 2022 |
29-16 |
| 2023 |
30-14 |
| At BLC |
144-111 |
| Career |
Same |
