OREM, Utah – New Utah Valley University baseball coach Eddie Smith has announced his coaching staff for the 2022 season. Nate Rasmussen, Grant Kukuk and Kade Kryzsko will all be assistant coaches for Wolverine baseball.
 
Rasmussen has been hired as the program's recruiting coordinator, while Kukuk will be the team's pitching coach, and Kryzsko will be the squad's first base coach. 
 
"We are thrilled to complete our staff here at Utah Valley," Smith said. "Each one of these coaches were the first guy targeted for their position and they bring a great combination of experience, energy and knowledge to the program."
 
Rasmussen comes to UVU from the Minnesota Twins organization where he most recently served as a hitting coach for the Twins Advanced Single-A club. Kukuk makes his was to Orem from Cal State East Bay where he was the program's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. And Kryzsko comes to Utah Valley after spending time in the professional ranks in Germany as a pitcher and assistant coach with the Berlin Flamingos. 
 
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.
 
Rassmussen earned a bachelor's degree from Pacific University in business marketing in 2012.
 
"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."
 
Kukuk has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif., where he served as the program's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator (2018-21). Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at the College of Southern Idaho for two years from 2016-18. He has also spent time coaching during the summers as an assistant coach for the Yakima Valley Pippins of the West Coast League and the Neptune Beach Pearl of the California Collegiate Summer League. During his playing days, Kukuk pitched two seasons for the CSI Golden Eagles where he earned all-conference accolades and then went on to pitch his final two years at fellow WAC foe Sacramento State. 
 
Kukuk grew up in Reno, Nev., and holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Sacramento State (2016) and a master's degree in human resource development from Idaho State (2018).
 
"Grant is one of the bright young pitching coaches in baseball. I was impressed with him from the moment we connected on the phone," Smith said. "He brings a perfect blend of traditional philosophy meshed with modern training techniques that will help develop our pitchers at an elite level."
 
Kryzsko played for Smith at Lower Columbia College and excelled on the diamond as he earned All-American honors as a pitcher and infielder. He then went on to finish his collegiate playing career at Indiana University of the Big Ten Conference from 2016-18. Kryzsko then spent two years of playing and coaching professionally in Germany as he pitched and also spent time as an assistant coach for the Berlin Flamingos from 2018-20. He also served as a personal instructor for D-Bat from 2018-21 in the state of Washington.
 
Kryzsko hails from Covington, Wash., and earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana University in 2018 in liberal studies (with a minor in sociology).
 
"Kade is going to bring great perspective to our program with some unique experiences. It was a great pleasure to coach Kade Kryzsko in his first two years of playing college baseball where his work ethic and killer instinct earned him junior college All-American honors," Smith said. "He then transferred to Indiana University where he was coached by 2021 National Championship winner, Coach Chris Lemonis, before finishing his career playing professionally in Europe. These experiences will be great for our program and his work ethic will be respected immediately by our players."
 
Rasmussen, Kukuk and Kryzsko complete Smith's coaching staff for the 2022 season. Smith was recently hired as Utah Valley's head baseball coach in early June. To read more about Coach Smith and his hiring at UVU, click HERE.
 
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
On Coach Eddie Smith
"Working with Coach Smith my freshman year in college was a great opportunity that I had, and it is something that I will remember for the rest of my career. The energy and attitude that he brought every single day to the field molded our team into one of the best physically and mentally prepared teams in the country. I think the best thing that I got out of my freshman year when working with coach was how to 'flip the switch' when arriving to the baseball field. Coach Smith put hours of effort into preparation for us players to have the best opportunity to win every game against our opponents."
 
-Dylan Crews
LSU Baseball
2021 National Freshman of the Year
 
On Nate 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
 
On Grant Kukuk
"Grant is one of the up-and-coming pitching coaches on the West Coast. His work ethic and demeanor will allow him to help Utah Valley reach the 'peak' in 2022. Eddie Smith made a great hire in securing Grant."
 
-Reggie Christianson
Sacramento State Head Coach
Three-time WAC Champion (2014, 2017, 2019) 
 
On Kade Kryzsko
"Kade was a player who took a lot of pride in his preparation and always played the game the right way. I am sure he will approach coaching with the same mindset. He will be a great asset to the program and will bring great energy to the ballpark every day."
 
-Chris Lemonis
Mississippi State Head Coach
2021 National Champion