Aberdeen, SD (NSUWolves.com) – Northern State University Director of Athletics Nate Davis announced Brandon Kusler as the permanent head baseball coach of the Wolves today, following a year in the interim role. Kusler enters his fifth season with the Northern State baseball program in the fall of 2026.

“Brandon has earned the opportunity to lead the Wolves baseball program into the future and I’m excited to work with him to continue to build on the foundation that has been established,” said Davis. “Stepping into the interim role, he brought stability, energy, and a clear vision for the program while earning the respect of our players and staff.”

“I am beyond excited for this opportunity to lead Wolves baseball,” explained Kusler. “I want to thank Nate Davis and Dr. Alan LaFave for believing in me to lead this team and represent Northern State University. This school and program mean so much to me and my family, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow NSU baseball. Go Wolves!”

Kusler was appointed to the interim role in September of 2025 and hit the ground running for the Wolves, filling his assistant coaching position, running the 2025 Baseball Golf Tournament, and kicking off fall practices. The Wolves improved in eight offensive categories in 2026 from the 2025 season, marking season highs in homeruns (40) and OPS (.810), which were the highest since the 2016 season. Right-handed pitcher Hyunwoo Kim earned NSIC All-Defensive Team honors as the conclusion of the season.

Davis added, “After watching the way he has led this program over the last year, it became clear that Brandon is the right person to lead Wolves baseball moving forward. We are excited to officially name him our head baseball coach and look forward to the continued growth of the program under his leadership.”

In his three seasons as an assistant, NSU had four Wolves earned NSIC All-Conference honors and the team tallied the ABCA Academic Award, hitting the ten consecutive year milestone in 2025.

Prior to returning to Northern State as a full-time assistance coach, Kusler was on staff with the Harrisburg Legion program as an assistant coach. The Tigers Legion Gold team went 38-9-1 in the summer of 2024.

In the spring of 2024, two Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams, and five school records were broken including single season saves (Drew Burkholder – 5), single season offensive walks (180), single season stolen bases (62), career innings pitched (Max Otto – 254.0), and career strikeouts (Max Otto – 248).

2023 saw Northern find success at the plate improving in 12 offensive categories from the previous spring, while racking up the most single season homeruns since 2016, runs per game since 2018, and doubles since 2019.

Born and raised in Aberdeen, Kusler began his coaching career in 2019 with the Aberdeen Smittys Legion program. In his first season as the head coach for the U13 team, the Smittys won the South Dakota Class A State Championship. Heading into the 2022 season, Kusler was named head coach for the legion program and served in that role until 2023. In the summer of 2023, the Smitty’s made their first state tournament appearance since 2017 with Kusler at the helm.

Kusler is a Northern State baseball alum, playing outfield for the Wolves from 2018-22. He started 32 contests in his career, appearing in a total of 64 games. In his final season, Kusler tallied a 1.000 fielding percentage with 52 putouts, and five outfield assists.

He graduated in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Education, while majoring in Physical Education, and again in 2024 with a master’s degree in Sports Performance and Leadership. Kusler resides in Aberdeen with his fiancé, McKenzie.