Baseball Coaches
Pat Dolan
Head Baseball Coach
Alma Mater: St. Cloud State 1992
Hometown: Cold Spring, MN
Phone: 320-308-3541
E-mail: pldolan@stcloudstate.edu
Josh Vorpahl
St. Cloud native and former Husky athlete, Josh Vorpahl, has joined the St. Cloud State University baseball coaching staff as an assistant coach. Vorpahl will serve as the team's pitching coach.
Vorpahl has many ties to St. Cloud and the SCSU baseball family. He was a student-athlete at St. Cloud State from 1993-95 and then again in 1998. He started his college baseball career at Itasca Community College playing for current SCSU head coach Pat Dolan. In 1998 he was voted first team all-conference and the North Central Conference Pitcher of the Year, while playing for the Huskies.
Most recently, Vorpahl was the interim head baseball coach at St. Cloud Apollo High School where he originally graduated from in 1993 and was a three-time letterwinner, All Central Lakes Conference selection his junior and senior years and the St. Cloud Area Player of the Year. He also earned All-State honors his senior year. Vorpahl was also the assistant head coach at Apollo H.S. from 2005-2010 and junior varsity coach in 1996 and 1997.
He was also the head baseball coach for Apollo’s summer American Legion team, the Waite Park Silver Stars from 2000-2009. Still a competitive player, Josh is in his 20th year of playing amateur baseball in Minnesota.
“We are very happy to have Josh join our coaching staff. His baseball coaching resume speaks for itself. Josh has some great experiences and being another former Husky, he brings with him the passion for the red and black,” said SCSU head coach Pat Dolan.
Vorpahl’s primary duties will be coaching a pitching staff that brings back a lot of talent and experience from last year’s 41-17 squad that placed second at the NCAA Central Regional in 2010. He will also be reunited with former St. Cloud Apollo star player Logan Birr, who is entering his junior year as SCSU.
“I’m very excited about this great opportunity to get involved in college baseball. Playing for Pat and knowing him for a long time, I have a lot of respect for him and how he has brought back the great tradition of Husky baseball. One thing those pitchers are going to get from me is a person who cares about them as student-athletes and a person who will put in the work that I will expect them to put in,” Vorpahl said.
Josh is married (Jessi) and has two children and resides in nearby Sartell. He is employed by Wacosa in Waite Park.
E-mail for Josh Vorpahl: vorps51@yahoo.com
Mike Bell
Assistant Coach
Mike Bell works several capacities with the SCSU Baseball Program. Bell has been a Dugout Club Board Member since 2007 serving in fundraising events and assisting in community events. Coach Bell also works with the SCSU outfielders in regards to defensive fundamentals and strategies. He also plays a big role in the Huskies small ball offense.
"Working with the outfielders and small ball techniques are Coach Bell’s strengths. He does a great job assisting our student-athletes reach their team and individual goals," SCSU head coach Pat Dolan said.
Bell brings a very strong and noteworthy playing and coaching career resume with to St. Cloud State. He was an All-State shortstop at Melrose in 1987 under longtime skipper Coach Ken Picha. Bell then played at Division I power Iowa Western Community College from 1987-89 where he served as team captain in 1989.
Bell then went on to play in North Carolina at Division II St. Andrews College, where he also served as team captain in 1991. Statistically, Bell was a .348 collegiate hitter while grabbing 62 stolen bases in 1991 (single season) which at that time was a national record.
Bell coached the 1992 Cold Spring VFW Baseball Team to a State Championship along with coaching basketball, softball, and football at Rocori High School in the early 1990's. Bell also coached at Melrose High School in the late 1980's.
Bell played over 20 years of amateur baseball in Central Minnesota over the years. Bell is a Cold Spring Springer, Cold Spring Rockies, and St. Cloud Saints alumni.
“As a friend since my tee-ball days, I am very happy to coach alongside my childhood friend," Dolan said. " Playing collegiately at Iowa Western and with the Cold Spring Springers in our early years, and now once again being reunited as coaches at SCSU has really been special."
Bell’s son, Jonathan (right photo), has been one of the SCSU Huskies batboys for the past 3 years as well. In addition to his work with the Huskies, Bell serves as a State Trooper with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Rob Swendra
Rob Swendra joins the Huskies coaching staff as an assistant coach for the 2012 season.
Swendra is a 1993 graduate of Dassel-Cokato High School. During his senior year with the Chargers, Swendra lead his team in slugging percentage, home runs, and RBI which earned him All-Conference and All- Sub Section honors along with team MVP and pitcher of the year. Rob was also the goaltender for the Litchfield-Dassel Cokato Dragons Hockey team. Swendra served as team captain and also earned team MVP honors.
Swendra went on to play NJCAA Junior College baseball with Hibbing Community College from 1993-95. During this time, conference rivals Itasca C.C. was being lead by head coach Pat Dolan. Swendra had a great college baseball experience playing many positions and hitting .300 for the Cardinals.
For the past 20 years Swendra has been playing amateur baseball in Central MN with teams such as the Dassel-Cokato Mudcats, Dassel-Cokato Saints, Kingston Kings and now recently player/manager for the Cokato Kings.
For the past two years Swendra has also been the head coach for the Dassel-Cokato Babe Ruth team. Swendra lead his team to a state championship in 2011. Swendra is also in his 3rd year being a part of the coaching staff for Pat Dolan’s Starz of Tomorrow Baseball Academy.
“We are very fortunate to have Rob join our staff. He brings 20-plus years of baseball experience in Central Minnesota and has a lot of great baseball connections," Dolan said. "Rob brings a positive level of enthusiasm that will rub off on our players. He’s been working our fall league for the last five years with impressive feedback from the team’s he coached each year.”
Rob is married (Karen) and has 3 girls, Kalena, Belle, Ryanna and resides in Dassel. In addition to coaching with the Huskies, Swendra runs his own insurance business in Cokato.
Nate Hammes
Nate Hammes joins the SCSU staff as an assistant coach for the Huskies in 2011-12.
A graduate of Tartan Senior High School in Oakdale, Minn., Hammes lettered in football, basketball and baseball during his prep career. An All-Conference selection during his senior season at Tartan, Hammes also led the Oakdale American Legion team in hitting at a .487 pace. He signed letter of intent to play baseball at Concordia-St. Paul before opting to transer to SCSU after the 2007 season.
He joined the Huskies in 2008 and was a two-time All-NSIC selection for Coach Pat Dolan at catcher. He hit over .350 during his career at SCSU, which included a .995 fielding rate. He was the captain of the 2009 Brainerd Lakes Lunkers NWL squad and he helped the Huskies earn an NCAA DII tournament bid in 2010.
After the completion of his playing career at SCSU, Hammes played professional baseball with the St. Paul Saints in 2010 and also signed a pro contract and went to spring training with the Chico (Calif.) Outlaws in 2011. In the summer of 2011, Hammes played for Larry Norders' Air Freight Unlimited squad in St. Paul.
Mike Harwerth, Jr.
Mike Harwerth, Jr. begins has first season as a graduate assistant coach for the Huskies in 2011-12. A 2011 graduate of St. Cloud State, Harwerth received a degree in Recreation and Sports Management. Over the past two years, Harwerth has worked with the Minnesota Twins with their summer camps and clinics in the Twin Cities. A resident of Anoka, Harwerth is a 2007 graduate of Anoka High School where he played baseball and football as a prep athlete. In the summer months, Harwerth serves as a player-manager for the Anoka Bucks amateur baseball team. Harwerth was the driving force behind the revival of the Bucks' baseball team three years ago. In 2011, Harwerth helped with the SCSU baseball program and played a key role in game management and operations at most home games during the historic 2011 season at SCSU.
Travis Zins
Strength Training Coach
SCSU Game Day Support Staff
 Assistants: Chris Heil |
 Assistant: Ryan Lommel |
Team Bat Boys: Jonathan Bell, Connor Cariveau and Durham Welch
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