Baseball Announces Two Members of 2023 Staff
8/11/2022 2:30:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, IL - Northwestern head baseball coach Jim Foster announced two members of the coaching staff for the 2023 season on Wednesday afternoon. Baylor pitching coach Jon Strauss has joined the Wildcats in the same role and Dusty Napoleon will return to Northwestern as the program's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.
Strauss joins the Wildcats after seven seasons at Baylor, where he helped lead the Bears to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and tutored a decorated Baylor pitching staff.
Strauss played a key role in Baylor's first postseason appearance since 2012, as All-American closer Troy Montemayor and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Montana Parsons led the Bears to an impressive season on the mound in 2017. Strauss' track record in Waco included five pitchers who earned All-Big 12 honors and three who were drafted, including Cody Bradford, All-American Kyle Hill, and All-American Luke Boyd.
Strauss brings 27 years of collegiate coaching experience to Evanston, including six seasons at Pepperdine as the team's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He also spent time as an assistant with Long Beach State, San Jose State and Loyola Marymount and served as head coach at Glendale Community College, guiding GCC to league titles each year and earning a pair of Western State Conference Coach of the Year honors.
"We're very excited to welcome Jon Strauss and his family to Northwestern Baseball," Foster said. "Jon has had an incredible career as one of the best pitching coaches in the country. Throughout his time at Baylor, Pepperdine, and Long Beach State, he has worked with some great coaches and has developed many pitchers who have gone on to play well after college and into MLB. Jon has a wealth of experience and is an outstanding teacher of the game. We're excited to see his impact on our program."
Napoleon has been a member of the Northwestern baseball program since 2016, running the team's offense, working with catchers and leading Northwestern's recruiting efforts.
Napoleon helped develop MLB Draft Picks at Northwestern including Michael Trautwein, Shawn Goosenberg, Alex Erro and Jack Dunn and was a key part of the coaching staff that helped the Wildcats reach the Big Ten Championship Game in 2017, the program's first appearance in the conference title game in more than 40 years.
"Dusty is one of the premier hitting coaches in the country he has done a phenomenal job these past 7 years at NU," Foster said. "In 2021 he built one of the most powerful offenses in the country when the Wildcats set the B1G single-season home run record as well as posting one of the highest OPS in the nation. Dusty is a tremendous baseball guy, a great person, and also a really good role model for our student-athletes. His ability to build relationships with student-athletes on the recruiting trail and continue to develop each member of our program - including future MLB Draft Picks - during his time at NU will make Dusty a valuable addition to our staff as a recruiting coordinator and hitting coach."
Prior to Northwestern, Napoleon was an assistant coach at Concordia University, helping lead the Cougars to the DIII NCAA Tournament where Concordia advanced past defending national champions Wisconsin-Whitewater. One of the best catchers in the Big Ten during his playing days, Napoleon was a three-year starter at Iowa, where he led the team in on-base percentage, walks, RBIs and still holds the conference record for walks in Big Ten play.
Strauss joins the Wildcats after seven seasons at Baylor, where he helped lead the Bears to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and tutored a decorated Baylor pitching staff.
Strauss played a key role in Baylor's first postseason appearance since 2012, as All-American closer Troy Montemayor and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Montana Parsons led the Bears to an impressive season on the mound in 2017. Strauss' track record in Waco included five pitchers who earned All-Big 12 honors and three who were drafted, including Cody Bradford, All-American Kyle Hill, and All-American Luke Boyd.
Strauss brings 27 years of collegiate coaching experience to Evanston, including six seasons at Pepperdine as the team's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He also spent time as an assistant with Long Beach State, San Jose State and Loyola Marymount and served as head coach at Glendale Community College, guiding GCC to league titles each year and earning a pair of Western State Conference Coach of the Year honors.
"We're very excited to welcome Jon Strauss and his family to Northwestern Baseball," Foster said. "Jon has had an incredible career as one of the best pitching coaches in the country. Throughout his time at Baylor, Pepperdine, and Long Beach State, he has worked with some great coaches and has developed many pitchers who have gone on to play well after college and into MLB. Jon has a wealth of experience and is an outstanding teacher of the game. We're excited to see his impact on our program."
Napoleon has been a member of the Northwestern baseball program since 2016, running the team's offense, working with catchers and leading Northwestern's recruiting efforts.
Napoleon helped develop MLB Draft Picks at Northwestern including Michael Trautwein, Shawn Goosenberg, Alex Erro and Jack Dunn and was a key part of the coaching staff that helped the Wildcats reach the Big Ten Championship Game in 2017, the program's first appearance in the conference title game in more than 40 years.
"Dusty is one of the premier hitting coaches in the country he has done a phenomenal job these past 7 years at NU," Foster said. "In 2021 he built one of the most powerful offenses in the country when the Wildcats set the B1G single-season home run record as well as posting one of the highest OPS in the nation. Dusty is a tremendous baseball guy, a great person, and also a really good role model for our student-athletes. His ability to build relationships with student-athletes on the recruiting trail and continue to develop each member of our program - including future MLB Draft Picks - during his time at NU will make Dusty a valuable addition to our staff as a recruiting coordinator and hitting coach."
Prior to Northwestern, Napoleon was an assistant coach at Concordia University, helping lead the Cougars to the DIII NCAA Tournament where Concordia advanced past defending national champions Wisconsin-Whitewater. One of the best catchers in the Big Ten during his playing days, Napoleon was a three-year starter at Iowa, where he led the team in on-base percentage, walks, RBIs and still holds the conference record for walks in Big Ten play.
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