No one should be surprised by Nate Rasmussen's coaching success at Utah Valley.
 
The 2012 Pacific graduate has done this before.
 
When Rasmussen returned to Pacific as an assistant baseball coach in 2014, the Boxers quickly improved from winning 13 games to a then program record 25 in 2016.
 
Rasmussen then spent three seasons as the recruiting coordinator at Northern Colorado (2017-19), where the Bears went from winning 16 games in 2016 to 29 in 2018.
 
During the 2023 season with Rasmussen serving as associate head coach, Utah Valley made the biggest turnaround in Division I. After finishing 10-47 in 2021, the Wolverines won 34 games in 2023.
 
In Rasmussen's first season as head coach, Utah Valley won the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, defeating Abilene Christian 11-9 on May 24 in the championship game.
 
"I don't really know how I do it," Rasmussen said. "It's different at every place. We've just had a lot of really good kids say yes. Recruiting good players is always the biggest thing."
 
Former Pacific baseball standout CJ Colyer, the 2024 Northwest Conference Player of the Year and an All-American who led all of Division III with 23 home runs, transferred to the Wolverines for the 2025 season.
 
Colyer became the third former Boxer to join Rasmussen at Utah Valley, along with Isaac Lovings (2024) and Joey Harmon (2025).
 
The hero of Utah Valley's 3-1 quarterfinal win over Abilene Christian, Colyer hit a game-winning three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to send the Wolverines to the semifinals.
 
Colyer, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, also doubled and scored two runs in the championship game.
 
"He's had some huge home runs for us this year," Rasmussen said of Colyer, who hit .336 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 35 RBIs for Utah Valley this spring.
 
"He's become a better hitter this year, too. There were some things we had to change just because the game is faster, but he took it in stride and listened, which is great. He's doing things that are beyond being a home run guy, which is pretty cool."
 
Former Pacific athlete (baseball and football) and assistant coach Kyle Treadway also joined Utah Valley's coaching staff in 2025, serving as the Wolverines pitching coach.
 
Treadway and Rasmussen were both members of the Boxers 2012 Northwest Conference championship team.
 
"He's done a lot of winning and I like to surround myself with people who have done a lot of winning," Rasmussen said of Treadway. 
 
As the 2025 WAC Tournament Champions, Utah Valley gets an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines second appearance ever and first since 2016.
 
While Rasmussen said Utah Valley would have been happy to play anywhere, the NCAA Tournament will be a homecoming as the Wolverines will take on Oregon Friday at 6 p.m. in the Eugene regional that also includes Arizona and Cal Poly.
 
"I thought we were going to play in Eugene," said Rasmussen, who met his wife, Alissa, at Pacific. The two got married on the Forest Grove campus. Rasmussen's mom and brother now live in Salem. 
 
"I just had a feeling. Don't know why. Pretty happy for sure. It will be really cool."

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