Ashland, Wis., July 7, 2023 – Northland College Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of Cal Fougner as the LumberJacks' new head baseball coach.

"We had a tremendous group of candidates," said Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dan Schumacher. "As we went through the process, Cal's experience, enthusiasm, and connection to the area made him a perfect fit to lead our baseball program."

Since the spring of 2020, Fougner has served as the lead assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for Valley City State University (VCSU), a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program in Valley City, North Dakota. In 2021, VCSU's pitchers broke the team record for strikeouts in a season and ranked 21st in the NAIA for opponent batting average, while their hitters broke the team single-season home run record. During his tenure at VCSU, baseball student-athletes earned 17 North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) All-Conference awards, six NSAA Players of the Week awards, one NAIA All-American/NSAA Conference Player of the Year award, and 17 NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards, with two athletes moving on to sign professional contracts. He successfully recruited 43 student athletes from 16 different states/provinces over a span of three years.

"I'm very grateful to President Chad Dayton, Dan Schumacher, Assistant Director of Athletics Scott Sorenson, and the rest of the search committee for trusting me to help bring their vision of Northland Athletics to life," said Fougner. "Northland College is such a unique place, and I think there's so much potential to build something special here. I can't wait to get to work leading LumberJacks Baseball into the future!"

Prior to VCSU, Fougner was the head baseball coach at Denfeld High School in Duluth, Minnesota, for seven years. Through a program overhaul, Fougner's teams found consistent success, culminating with a Minnesota Section 7AAA championship in 2019—advancing to the state tournament for the school's first appearance since 1954. He was named the 2019 Section 7AAA Coach of the Year. Earlier in his career, Fougner was the assistant baseball coach at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College for the 2011–2012 season and was a student-assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Superior for 2009–2010. He also founded two amateur baseball teams, the Moorhead Expos (Moorhead, Minn.) and the Twin Ports North Stars (Duluth, Minn.). 

Fougner's experience in recruiting and familiarity with the region should pay off in advancing the LumberJacks' legacy.

"I know there's a strong foundation of returning student athletes, and I look forward to understanding more about their goals and experiences as LumberJacks," Fougner said. "I see this as a program that can continuously strive for success, both on and off the field. Having previously been a part of the baseball community in this region for fifteen years, I'm glad to be returning to an area where I have so many great memories and positive relationships."

Fougner received his bachelor's degree in English education with a minor in coaching from UW-Superior in 2010. He was a four-year student-athlete at UW-Superior as a pitcher, catcher, and outfielder. He is currently working toward his master's degree in education through VCSU. Fougner and his wife, Becky, will be residing in Ashland, Wisconsin, with their two dogs, Jake and Niko.