University of Minnesota Athletics
Softball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- thompskj@umn.edu
Kelsey Thompson joined the Gopher softball staff as associate head coach in June 2026 after spending the previous 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.
