Kodie Kolden is in his fourth season on the DBU Baseball coaching staff and his first as Recruiting Coordinator, following two seasons as Assistant Coach and one as the Director of Player Development and Infield Coordinator. In three seasons on staff, Kolden has played a key role in DBU’s sustained success, helping lead the Patriots to two NCAA Regional appearances, a Conference USA regular season championship in 2025, and the 2024 CUSA Tournament title.
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In 2026, Kolden mentored another one of the best infields in the country. Under his guidance, the Patriots fielded at a .981 clip, the 17th-best mark in the country and the second-best rate in program history. He also coached shortstop Dylan Cupp, who was named a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist. On the offensive side, Kolden worked with one of the most powerful offenses in program history, as DBU tied the school record with 119 home runs (seventh in the nation) and set the home run rate record, averaging 2.05 home runs per game (seventh).
In 2025, Kolden helped guide DBU to the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional. A former Patriots starting third baseman, Kolden oversaw an infield unit that posted the nation’s 16th-best fielding percentage (.979). Offensively, DBU led Conference USA in scoring, averaging 8.4 runs per game and ranked 16th nationally in slugging percentage (.527).
During his first season on staff in 2024, the Patriots captured the Conference USA Tournament championship and earned a No. 2 seed at the Tucson Regional. Under Kolden’s direction, DBU produced a defense that set a new single-season program record and ranked fourth nationally in fielding percentage (.982), while leading all of college baseball with 56 double plays.
Across his two seasons as an assistant coach, Kolden has helped develop a pair of All-Americans in Nathan Humphreys (2025) and Grant Jay (2025), the 2024 CUSA Newcomer of the Year in Michael Dattalo, and 11 All-Conference USA selections. DBU position players under his guidance have also made an impact at the professional level, with Michael Dattalo selected in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and Grant Jay taken in the 12th round by the Seattle Mariners.
Kolden capped his collegiate playing career at DBU in 2023 after transferring from Washington State. In his lone season with the Patriots, he was a cornerstone of a historic team that set a school record with 47 wins and finished ranked No. 20 nationally by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
That season, Kolden earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors after leading DBU with a .353 batting average while ranking second on the team with 21 stolen bases. Regarded as one of the nation’s top defensive third basemen, he committed just five errors in 105 chances at the hot corner.
Kolden played an integral role in DBU’s inaugural Conference USA championship season in 2023, which concluded with a No. 2 seed in the Stillwater Regional. He was named to the Stillwater Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .470 (8-for-15) with two home runs during the Patriots’ run to the regional final.
In addition to his on-field achievements, Kolden excelled academically, earning Conference USA All-Academic Team honors in 2023.
Before arriving at DBU for his final season, Kolden played his first four years at Washington State. As a sophomore in 2021, he was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Brooks Wallace Award, presented annually to the nation’s top shortstop. Over his four seasons at Washington State, Kolden made 143 starts and posted a 29-game on-base streak, the ninth-longest in program history.
Kolden earned his bachelor’s degree in sports science from Washington State University and completed a Master of Arts in Sport Management at DBU.
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