University of Minnesota Athletics
Softball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- wagne749@umn.edu
Nat Wagner joined the Gopher softball staff in June 2026 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.
