Derrion Hardie is entering his fourth year as the head baseball coach at Dakota State University. He starts the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 709-374 as a head coach at the collegiate and high school levels.
The Trojans finished the 2022 season with a record of 33-18. The program went from three wins the year prior to Hardie taking over to 33 wins in his second full season as head coach. 2022 was the third best season in program history and the best season in 15 years. The remarkable turnaround consisted of a win over a No. 7 nationally ranked team, being ranked by the NAIA region/Area Ranking Committee (ARC) and breaking 27 school records.
The North Star Conference was formed in 2013-14, and since its formation, the 2022 team achieved the most conference wins (15), highest regular season finish (2nd), and first-ever appearance in the conference tournament championship game. The Trojans lost the conference tournament championship game 1-0 to No. 6 nationally ranked Bellevue University. Bellevue went on to make it the NAIA World Series.
In 2022, five players were selected as conference Player-of-the-Week and 10 players were selected to All-Conference teams. Mason Macaluso (outfielder) and Kameron Bryant (designated hitter) were selected First Team All-Conference. Ryan McDaniel (catcher), Chris Burke (short stop), JD Kirchner (pitcher), Will Clair (pitcher), and Cole Westerlund (pitcher) were chosen Second Team All-Conference. Walker Hultgren (outfielder) and Mitsuki Shimonishi (pitcher) received Honorable Mention All-Conference. McDaniel was also picked for the Gold Glove team and Jackson O’Neal (outfielder) was named to the Champions of Character team.
The Trojans had as much success in the classroom in 2022 as they did on the field with eight Academic All-Americans and 19 Academic All-Conference athletes.
2021 was Hardie's first full season as the head baseball coach and the program had its best season in five years, finishing with an overall record of 20-25. Prior to Hardie becoming head coach, the program won just three games in 2019 and only nine games between 2017-19.
The 2021 season had several highlights. In the classroom, the Trojans boasted seven Academic All-Americans and 16 Academic All-Conference athletes. Notably, 16 Trojan athletes were tied for the most in the conference among the baseball programs.
On the field, three players were selected conference Player-of-the-Week, and six players were selected to All-Conference teams. In addition, the Trojans shut out an NAIA’s Top 25 nationally ranked team and tied the school record for the most conference wins since the league formed in 2013.
Samuel Drummond (outfielder), Chris Kropuenske (second baseman), and Ryan McDaniel (catcher) were selected to the 2021 All-Conference First Team. Mason Macaluso (designated hitter) was chosen to the All-Conference Second Team, while Chris Burke (utility) and Jace Pribyl (first baseman) were named to the league's All-Conference Honorable Mention team.
Hardie’s first season as the head baseball coach was cut short early in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Trojans finished the shortened season with a record of 6-9 and were on track to have the program’s best season since 2016.
Academically, the Trojans had four Academic All-Americans and 15 Academic All-Conference athletes.
On the mound, Devin DeBoer and Carver Hultgren earned conference Pitcher-of-the-Week honors. Hultgren pitched the program's first no-hitter since 2005.
Offensively, Jace Pribyl finished ranked as one of the top players in the NAIA in batting average after hitting .420, and Esai Hernandez finished ranked 18th in doubles in the nation.
Prior to coming to Dakota State, Hardie was the head baseball coach at Ecclesia College (Ark.) where he was hired to lead the baseball program from ground zero. He launched the program in 2013 and pioneered the Royals to six consecutive winning seasons and post-season berths. Hardie executing a five-year vision plan to qualify for the World Series in 2017. They finished the season ranked 7th in the nation after participating in the World Series.
Hardie arguably had his most successful season in 2018, finishing 35-18. The squad broke most of the team’s statistical records, highlighted by a .330 team batting average and 3.27 team earned run average. The team also achieved a 3.2 team grade point average that ran the program’s streak to twelve straight semesters with a 3.0 or higher team GPA.
Hardie engineered 175 wins in his six seasons as the head coach at Ecclesia College. During that time, he coached eight players that went on to sign professional contracts, five All-Americans, 18 All-Region, 24 All-Conference, two Conference Player-of-the-Year, and two Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year selections.
As the head baseball coach at Northwestern College (Iowa) in the early 2000’s, Hardie’s teams finished at the top of the Great Plains Athletic Conference in team offense and defense.
His Red Raider teams were most known for their offensive production. The Red Raiders earned national recognition in the NAIA’s Top 20 in various team statistical categories, including his 2003 team that finished 16th in the nation with 43 home runs. That same year, Hardie had an athlete ranked 2nd in the nation in batting average hitting .493, 5th in the nation with 17 home runs, and 12th in the nation with 57 runs batted in.
While at Northwestern, he coached two NAIA All-Americans.
Prior to his time at Northwestern, Hardie served as an assistant baseball coach working as the catching and hitting coach at his alma mater, the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.). While at USF, the Cougars qualified for the post-season and he assisted with the development of the 2001 Great Plains Athletic Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year, Adam Heiden, and First Team NAIA All-American outfielder, Joe Bolstad.
In addition to his collegiate coaching, Hardie spent ten years as a highly successful high school head baseball coach in Minnesota and South Dakota. His teams qualified for the state tournament nine of his 10 years. During his high school coaching career, Hardie coached 29 All-State and 46 All-Region athletes. Furthermore, 18 of his athletes signed collegiate baseball national letters-of-intent.
Hardie, a native of Aberdeen, S.D., has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 28 years. They have three children: Sierra, Zach, and Madisyn, a son-in-law: Wesley Kroupa, and one grandchild: Sofia (daughter of Wesley and Sierra Kroupa).
