OREM, Utah— Utah Valley Director of Athletics Dr. Jared Sumsion has announced the hiring of native Utahn Nate Rasmussen as the program's fourth head coach in the program's Division I history and the sixth all-time, including the program's junior college era.
 
Rasmussen has been at Utah Valley for three seasons and was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under prior head coach Eddie Smith, who recently accepted the same position at the University of Washington. He was responsible for helping orchestrate one of the best turnarounds in college baseball from 2022 to 2023 and was promoted to associate head coach after a 24-win improvement in 2023.
 
"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."
 
"I've been preparing for this opportunity for a long time and to be able to be a division I head coach in my home state is a dream come true. My family and I are delighted that we get to continue to help grow this program," said Rasmussen. "This is a place we can win championships and all of our efforts will continue to push towards that. I want to thank President Astrid Tuminez, VP Val Peterson, and AD Jared Sumsion for their belief in my ability to take the keys to this program and run with it."
 
Under his guidance, the Wolverines have had one of the best fielding percentages in the program's history. In 2023, UVU set a new record for the highest fielding percentage at .974, and in the two other years, they finished near the top of the program's record books. The UVU offense leaped to new heights in 2024 by setting records for the most home runs (106) in program history, hit batters, walks, and stolen bases.
 
While at Utah Valley, Rasmussen has aided in the professional development of eight players who signed professional contracts, including four who saw time in the UVU infield. While at Pacific, he developed two All-Americans and worked with Daniel Dickinson, UVU's All-American.
 
Rasmussen has worked hard at rebuilding multiple college programs, including at former WAC foe Northern Colorado. While in Greeley, he helped the Bears improve from 16 to 29 wins while taking the offense from the bottom of the country to one of the nation's best. UNC reached the most wins in their automatic qualifier history during the span.
 
His coaching career started with one year at the University of Puget Sound in the D3 ranks before moving back to his alma mater to be the associate head coach and later, recruiting coordinator. He helped lead the Boxers in a rebuild that included a 4-20 conference record in 2014 to the most wins in school history at 25 in 2016.
 
Rasmussen has earned national recognition as an assistant, including being named one of D1Baseball's Top 100 Assistants, and received an invitation to the Surefire Forum, where only the best assistants get invited. He has been a featured camp clinician and speaker at Stanford University and the University of Washington baseball camps. He has also worked with the Utah All-Star Showcase, Utah High School Coaches, and the National High School Coaches Convention.
 
He was a standout player at Pacific University, where he was a three-time All-Conference selection and a first-team All-NWC selection in 2011. He was also the captain of the 2012 NWC championship team. He played his prep baseball at baseball powerhouse Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah, where he earned a first-team all-state selection in 2008 while helping lead 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 sons, Reggie and Royal.