University of Minnesota Athletics
Melsted Unveils 2027 Softball Coaching Staff
6/9/2026 2:58:00 PM | Softball
MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota head softball coach Gretta Melsted announced a series of staff updates that will shape the program heading into the 2027 season.
"I could not be more excited about the staff we have assembled here at Minnesota," said Melsted. "Kelsey and Nat have worked closely with me for years and have been a major part of championship-level programs. Kelsey has been my right hand, and there are no two people I would rather make this jump with than her and Nat. Nicole brings an elite pitching background and has already proven herself as one of the top young coaches in the game. I've surrounded myself with individuals I trust, people who care deeply about developing student-athletes and who know what it takes to build a winning culture. I'm thrilled for what this group will bring to Gopher softball."
Minnesota has added Kelsey Thompson as associate head coach, Nat Wagner as assistant coach and Nicole Newman as assistant coach/pitching coach.
Kelsey Thompson | Associate Head Coach
Kelsey Thompson joins the Gopher softball staff as associate head coach after spending the past eight seasons as an assistant coach and pitching coach at Augustana.
During her time with the Vikings, Thompson helped Augustana compile a 481-141 record, win the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship, while capturing six NSIC regular season championships and five NSIC tournament championships. She was also part of the 2019 NFCA Central Region and Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year alongside Melsted and Wagner.
Thompson helped guide Augustana to another NSIC Tournament Championship in 2026. The year prior, the Vikings went 50-11, claimed both the NSIC regular-season and tournament championships and ranked second in the nation with a 1.28 ERA. Augustana's pitching staff also recorded 18 shutouts and held opponents to a .200 batting average in 2025.
In 2024, she was named the 2024 NFCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. Thompson's staff once again led the NSIC with a 1.64 ERA while helping Augustana post a 49-15 record, 21 shutouts and both the NSIC regular-season and tournament titles. Her squad returned to the Division II National Championships in 2024, behind her teams' league-leading batting average of .345 including 119 doubles, 88 home runs, an on base percentage of .402 and a slugging percentage of .574.
The Vikings also captured five consecutive NSIC regular-season championships from 2021-25, highlighted by a 50-10 campaign, NSIC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. During this season, she helped Augustana set a school record for slugging percentage (6.08) and on base percentage (.438).
Under Thompson's guidance in 2022, her team set a school record with 95 home runs in a single season.
Thompson also played a key role in Augustana's 2021 postseason run, helping lead the Vikings to a 49-8 record, a semifinal appearance at the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and a No. 3 final ranking from the NFCA.
She rejoined Augustana's staff in 2019 and helped lead the Vikings to the program's second NCAA Division II National Championship. Working primarily with the pitching and catching staff, Thompson helped Augustana's pitchers rank among the nation's best, finishing first nationally in innings pitched and 14th in ERA. The Vikings also ranked among the program's single-season top 10 in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and opponent batting average.
Before returning to Augustana, Thompson spent five seasons as head coach at Sioux Falls. She led the Cougars to five consecutive winning seasons from 2014-2018, guided the program to multiple NSIC Tournament appearances and set a then-program record with 34 wins in 2016.
Thompson's first experience at Augustana came as a graduate assistant for three seasons, where she helped the Vikings reach the NCAA Division II Women's College World Series and earn three consecutive NCAA postseason berths.
A former standout catcher, Thompson played collegiately at Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. As a senior at Minnesota State, she was named the 2010 NSIC Player of the Year and earned All-America, All-Region and All-NSIC First Team honors after hitting .431 with 11 home runs. She also tied the program's single-season home run record with 13 as a junior.
A native of Blue Earth, Minn., Thompson graduated from Minnesota State in 2010 with a degree in exercise science and a minor in sports medicine. She also holds a master's degree in sports administration and leadership from Augustana.
Nat Wagner | Assistant Coach
Nat Wagner joins the Gopher softball staff after spending the last two seasons as head coach at Minnesota Duluth.
Wagner led the Bulldogs to 69 wins over two seasons, including a 39-17 record in his first year at the helm in 2025. UMD finished fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with an 18-8 league record and advanced to the NSIC Tournament semifinals. The 39 wins matched the most by a first-year head coach in program history.
In his second season, Wagner guided the Bulldogs to another 30-win campaign and 15 conference victories. Under his leadership, UMD hit .306 as a team and ranked second in the NSIC with 53 home runs, while also leading the conference with 113 stolen bases.
Prior to his time at Minnesota Duluth, Wagner spent two seasons as an assistant coach at St. Thomas, helping the Tommies transition from NCAA Division III to Division I. He assisted with compliance, recruiting and competition preparation, while also working with the team's defense. During his tenure, the Tommies improved from eighth to third in fielding percentage in Summit League play. Wagner also served as the program's primary academic liaison to the Center for Student Success and helped the team record a 3.65 GPA.
Before joining St. Thomas, Wagner spent three seasons as head coach at Minot State, leading the Beavers to three consecutive winning seasons and an NSIC Tournament berth in 2021. Minot State led the nation in stolen bases in both 2021 and 2022, while also leading the NSIC in All-Academic Team honorees.
Wagner also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Augustana from 2016-19, where he was named the 2019 NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year and was part of the 2019 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year. That season, Wagner helped lead the Vikings to the NCAA Division II National Championship. As hitting instructor and first base coach, he helped Augustana set school records in several major offensive categories, including slugging percentage, home runs, runs and stolen bases.
A native of Minnesota, Wagner also has coaching experience at Valley City State, New Prague High School and St. Thomas, where he helped the Tommies capture the 2012 MIAC Championship as an assistant coach. He also served as president and director of player development for the Minnesota Renegades/Midwest Speed club program from 2007-16.
Wagner graduated from Carleton College with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin and English. He also earned a Master of Arts in Classical Languages from the University of Michigan and holds Master of Arts degrees in English from Middlebury College and Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Nicole Newman | Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach
Nicole Newman joins the Gopher softball staff after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic, where she worked primarily with the pitching staff.
Newman helped FAU to a 34-20 record in 2026, guiding the Owls to one of the top pitching staffs in the American Athletic Conference. FAU finished second in the league with a 3.25 ERA while leading the AAC in opponent batting average (.243), earned runs allowed (164) and hits allowed (325).
In 2024 and 2025, Newman was part of the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year and helped lead the Owls to back-to-back regular-season conference titles. She also coached an All-American for the second consecutive year as FAU produced the national leader in saves, recorded the third perfect game in program history and saw one pitcher throw her second career no-hitter.
The Owls finished the 2025 season with a 2.70 ERA, the lowest mark in the AAC and 24th-best nationally. FAU also struck out 322 batters, tied for 25th in the country, and allowed just 270 hits, 87 fewer than the next-closest team in the conference. The staff also led the AAC with a .201 opponent batting average.
In 2024, the Owls recorded 41 wins, their most since 2016. Newman helped guide the pitching staff to a 2.87 ERA while allowing the fewest walks in the conference. FAU also featured pitchers with the third- and seventh-lowest ERAs in the AAC, while one of Newman's pitchers earned both Softball America and NFCA All-America honors.
During her first season in Boca Raton, Newman helped lead FAU to a 35-20 record, the program's most wins since 2017 at the time. The Owls posted a 2.10 team ERA, which ranked 19th nationally and led Conference USA. All five FAU pitchers finished with an ERA below 4.00, including four with sub-3.00 marks, as the staff recorded the program's lowest season ERA since 2016.
Newman arrived at Florida Atlantic after one season on the Creighton staff and two seasons as a graduate manager at Minnesota following a decorated pitching career at Drake.
At Drake, Newman was a 2019 NFCA First Team All-America honoree and became the first NFCA First Team All-American in program history. As a senior, she set the NCAA Division I record with five perfect games, a mark that still stands, while leading the nation with 423 strikeouts and ranking third nationally with a 1.07 ERA. She finished her career with a 93-33 record, 1.72 ERA and 1,223 strikeouts over 787.2 innings, and remains Drake's career record holder in wins and strikeouts.
During her time as a graduate manager at Minnesota, Newman was part of a staff that helped the Gophers to a 31-13 record in 2021. Minnesota ranked 26th nationally that season with a 2.06 team ERA.