OREM, Utah – Utah Valley baseball head coach Nate Rasmussen has announced the hiring of Dusty Nielsen as the program's director of operations and pitching development ahead of the 2027 season. He replaces Kevin Mitchell who departed this summer for the University Alabama-Huntsville. 
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Dusty Nielsen as our new director of operations and director of pitching performance," Rasmussen said. "He comes from in-state junior college powerhouse Salt Lake Community College and has a history of developing great pitchers who win games. Our pitching staff should be very excited to have him working side by side with Coach (Kyle) Treadway and Coach (Matthew) Wrobleski."
 
Nielsen most recently served on the staff at Salt Lake Community College, where he was the pitching coach and pitching analyst for the Bruins. During his time in Salt Lake City, he helped lead the Bruins to two appearances in the JUCO World Series, including the 2025 national championship.
 
As a player, Nielsen competed for the Bruins before spending a season at San Diego City College and completing his collegiate career at Southern Utah. He later played professionally in three countries, beginning with Reggio Emilia of the Italian Baseball League in 2007 before joining the Grays of the Can-Am League from 2007-09. He also spent time with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League.
 
His father, Scott, played for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox from 1986-89, while his brother, Trey, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate from 2014-17 before representing Team Italy in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.