PRESS RELEASE
Northern State University Director of Athletics Nate Davis announced Wednesday that Dean Berry has resigned his post as the Wolves head baseball coach to become the department’s next Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. Berry has been with the department since the fall of 2010, leading the Northern State baseball program as the second longest tenured coach in program history.
“Northern State is better for having Dean Berry lead the baseball team for the past 15 years,” explained Davis. “He has continually invested in the young men involved in the program; leaving his imprint on the game with the number of former players and assistants that continue to coach and impact student-athletes at various levels. Coach Berry has been a consistent and steady influence; he has earned the respect of his peers both in our building and throughout the NSIC.”
“This is a bittersweet moment for my family and I,” noted Berry. “Wolves baseball has been a huge part of our lives for the past 15 years and I have been blessed to have been around so many great student-athletes and coaches. Those relationships are what I will miss the most. I am very proud of what we have been able to do with this program. My goal from the start was to make this program better then when I found it and I believe with the help of so many, we did that.”
Berry took over a program that had single digit wins in the previous two seasons and has recorded double figure victories in all 14 of his seasons at the helm. The program has 16 seasons with twenty or more wins, with Berry leading the team to six of those, including a career best 28 victories in 2014. He is the second winningest coach at NSU with 252 career victories.
The Wolves have seen 23 All-Conference performers in the Berry era, including seven first team performers and the 2016 NSIC Newcomer of the Year [Nick Hoffard]. In addition, five student-athletes earned ABCA All-Region honors under his direction. Berry’s players hold 26 single game, season, and career records, while his teams have broken 10-of-13 single season records.
Berry’s teams found success in the classroom, landing on the ABCA Academic Award list for ten consecutive years, hitting the milestone following the 2025 season. Northern qualified for the NSIC Tournament as the sixth seed for the first time in the Division II era in the spring of 2014 and Berry was named the NSIC Coach of the Year. In total, Northern advanced to five NSIC Tournaments in Berry’s tenure.
With the fall semester just under way, Northern State will release details in the coming days regarding the leadership of the baseball program.
“I am excited to add Dean to our administrative team,” added Davis. “His skillset and experience will be a great fit for what we need in this position and will serve him well as an established member of the Aberdeen and Northern communities. Dean and I had several conversations about this opportunity, and he was very candid about his passion for Northern and his desire to remain in athletics. I look forward to continuing to work with Dean and see him take on this new challenge.”
Berry continued, “I am so excited to start this next chapter and continue to be a part of Northern State University. This truly is a special place, and I am looking forward to helping move Northern State Athletics to greater heights.”
As the Associate Athletic Director for External Operations, Berry will focus primarily on premium ticket operations, special events, corporate sponsorship agreements, and athletic fundraising initiatives. In addition, he will assist with game and sport administration for the department.
Berry will work closely with the NSU Foundation as a member of the revenue generation team, serving as a crucial member in the planning and implementation of Wolves Club events. He will lead the efforts of the annual NSU Golf Classic and assist the 15 intercollegiate athletic programs with their individual team fundraisers.
He has been an active member of the Aberdeen community since his arrival in the fall of 2010, leading youth camps and clinics for the Wolves and Aberdeen Parks and Rec. In addition, Berry has served on the Aberdeen Smitty’s board of directors for over ten years.
From 2000-2025, Berry served as the head baseball coach at Si Tanka (Huron University), Dakota State, and Northern State. He opened his career at the high school level in North Dakota, coaching eight total seasons. Berry made assistant coaching stops at Dartmouth College, Concordia-Moorhead, and his alma mater Mayville State.
He graduated from Mayville State University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and minor in coaching. While at Mayville State, he lettered in baseball and football all four years. In baseball, he played on four conference championship teams and was a team captain. In 2006, he received his master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at the University of North Dakota.
Berry resides in Aberdeen with his wife Julie and their children Abby and Jackson.
