Former Campbellsville University pitching coach Scott Hortness was named the head coach of the Dakota State University baseball program Wednesday. Hortness, 45, spent the last nine seasons as the top assistant and pitching coach for the Tigers.
"I'm very happy for him, because he has made inquiries the past several years, and has made it no secret he wanted to become a head coach one day. He's fulfilled part of his life dream," CU head coach Beauford Sanders said.
Hortness will begin work immediately in Madison, S.D. He inherits a Trojans' program that was 24-20 in 2010 and finished third in the Dakota Athletic Conference. He replaces Dean Berry, who was 68-58 in three years with DSU and was hired in June as the head coach at Northern State University.
"I want to thank (DSU Athletic Director) Gene Wockenfuss, the search committee and Dakota State University for putting their trust in me," said Hortness in a DSU press release, "and thank you to Campbellsville University and Beauford Saunders for treating me so well for nine years."
Hired in 2001 as the first full-time baseball assistant at CU, Hortness spent nine years helping to put Campbellsville baseball on the national radar. During his time, the Tigers won four regular season Mid-South Conference championships, six MSC Tournament titles and appeared in the NAIA postseason eight times, including the program's first-ever trip to the NAIA World Series in 2009. He helped the Tigers to a 308-176 (.636) record since 2002, as Sanders compiled nearly half of his 608 wins with Hortness at his side.
"I'll definitely miss him for a variety of reasons. He was a trusted, diligent assistant coach. He was extremely loyal and very knowledgeable of the game. I certainly learned some things from him," Sanders said. "He demonstrated some things to me with his analytical ability that I've adapted to … He was also a personal friend. I enjoyed his company on and off the field."
In addition to coaching baseball, Hortness served as head coach for men's and women's cross country in 2008 and 2009. His women's team won the Mid-South Conference championship in 2008 and returned to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in almost a decade.
"Scott has been a joy to work with at CU, and I wish him the very best in his head coaching endeavor. His work ethic and knowledge of baseball will help him build a great program at Dakota State," CU Athletic Director Rusty Hollingsworth said.
The new job not only gives Hortness his first shot of being a collegiate baseball head coach, but puts him about an hour north of his hometown: Parker, S.D.
After graduating from Parker High School in 1982, Hortness became a two-time All-District shortstop at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. He later joined the Northern State coaching staff and also coached at Dakota Wesleyan and the University of South Dakota before coming to Campbellsville. He has 23 years of coaching experience at the youth and collegiate levels.
Dakota State Press Release
