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Asalon to retire as NKU baseball head coach at end of season; has guided Norse to 548 career wins


NKyTribune staff

Northern Kentucky University baseball head coach Todd Asalon announced Friday that he will retire at the end of the 2021 season, his 21st as skipper for the Norse.

“For the last 21 years at Northern Kentucky University, I have had the privilege of coaching college baseball and following my former coach, friend and mentor Bill Aker,” said Asalon. “In my opinion, this is one of the greatest jobs one could imagine. Leading NKU’s baseball program has been one of the richest blessings of my life.

NKU head coach Todd Asalon (center) talks with his team after winning the 2006 GLVC title in Sauget, Ill.

“In recent months, I have become much more aware of the sacrifices it has taken for me to perform the job I loved for all these years. In reflection, I have decided to seek out a new career outside of baseball which enables me to be more present emotionally and physically with my family.

“Throughout my career at NKU, I have had the privilege of coaching many incredible young men and working with loyal, dedicated coaches. Thank you to these players, coaches, athletic trainers, academic services and all other support staff that helped build this program into a family. The most rewarding part of this job has been witnessing the growth and development of young men both on and off the field.”

“Coach Asalon has been a staple in Norse baseball, first as a student-athlete and now as head coach,” said Ken Bothof, director of athletics at NKU. “We are grateful for his years of service in the development of young men and wish him all the best with his future plans.”

Asalon took over as just the second coach in program history beginning in 2001 and has amassed a career-record of 548-557-1 at NKU. He led the Norse to eight NCAA Division II Regional appearances between 2001-12 prior to guiding the program through its transition to NCAA Division I membership as well as the move to the Horizon League.

NKU was a staple among the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s leaders with Asalon at the helm, as the Norse won five league championships including back-to-back crowns in 2008 and 2009.

Though NKU had been firmly established as a regional powerhouse at the NCAA Division II level for years, the Norse had never won a GLVC Tournament championship entering the 2002 season.

NKU players celebrate after the final out of the 2002 GLVC Tournament championship game.

That all changed in 2002 as Asalon — in his second year as NKU head coach — guided his alma mater to its first-ever GLVC crown. The Norse won the GLVC title again in 2004. Then again in 2006. And, again in 2008. Meanwhile, the odd-numbered seasons became gap years at NKU for championships.

“I was like, ‘What do we have to do to repeat?’ after those [odd-numbered] years,” said Asalon. “Looking back, repeating is really hard. It’s tough to do in any sport. In those odd years, we still had pretty good seasons. But you have to give credit to the teams that won it those years. But I was scratching my head about the odd years.”

NKU finally erased the odd-year jinx in 2009 by repeating as GLVC champions.

“Those were really good baseball teams, both in 2008 and ’09,” Asalon said. “We were loaded in 2009 with big bats like Evan McDole, Kevin Dusold and Jason Cisper. Our pitching was very solid. We beat a really good Indianapolis team in the championship game.

“That was our fifth GLVC championship of the decade. And we proved we could win a championship in an odd year.”

Todd Asalon

Under Asalon’s guidance, Norse student-athletes have also experienced tremendous success on and off the field. More than a dozen Norse have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including nine-year major-league veteran Nate Jones. Current Norse Griffin Doersching won the 2019 Rocket Mortgage College Home Run Derby, while former Norse Will Haueter was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipient and the 2018 Horizon League Scholar Athlete of the Season.

Prior to becoming the skipper at Northern Kentucky, Asalon spent six seasons leading Thomas More, where he led the Saints to their first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in 2000. Thomas More was 144-92 during Asalon’s tenure, running his career coaching record to 692-649-1.

Asalon’s teams were also known for their outreach in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region. The Norse were regular participants in the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati in support of team manager Ryan Mavriplis and his wife Jillian.

Prior to assuming the role of head coach in 2001, Asalon was no stranger to NKU. He played baseball for NKU from 1980-83, starting at catcher for three consecutive seasons and leading the squad as team captain in the final two years. He also served as an assistant coach for the Norse from 1991-94.

NKU will conduct a national search for the third head coach in the baseball program’s history.

(Information compiled from NKU Athletics Communications and staff reports)

NKU captured the 2006 GLVC Tournament championship with a 3-2 victory over Quincy.


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