David Pearson
David Pearson
Title: Head Coach
Phone: 515-433-5048
Email: dlpearson1@dmacc.edu

Coach David Pearson officially began his tenure with DMACC in July 2016. He comes to the Bears after spending the previous 9 years with Division I North Dakota State University, where he was most recently the associate head coach.

Success at North Dakota State University

Pearson helped guide the NDSU Bison to their first-ever Summit League tournament championship and a NCAA Division I tournament berth in the 2014 Regional, playing at #1-ranked Oregon State. As recruiting coordinator, Pearson led the effort in building three Summit League Conference runner ups and five league tournament berths in the last six seasons.

At NDSU, Pearson’s teams were known for being fundamentally sound and playing hardnosed baseball. While the 2014 Summit League Championship was the biggest win in school history, the Bison were very successful over the years against some of the top teams in the country, including an 8-2 victory over the eventual national champion, 5th ranked University of Arizona in2012. The victory in this monumental game was a springboard to the 40-victory season of 2012.

At NDSU, Pearson helped the Bison establish several offensive season records, including most hits, triples, sacrifice hits, and hit by pitches. He also led a resurgence in defensive play by developing teams that set school records in team fielding percentage, putouts, and assists.

Player Success Under Coach Pearson

  • National Capital One Academic All-American of the year, Tim Colwell, finished 15th in the country in hitting. Colwell was also named Summit League player of the year and 2nd team Senior CLASS Award winner.
  • Louisville Slugger 1st Team All-American and Ping! Baseball 2nd team All-American Justin Kline, who ranked 7th in the country in batting average at .432.
  • Overall, Pearson recruited and guided 28 All-Summit League performers over the last 9 seasons with the Bison.

Bison in the Pros

Twenty players have signed pro contracts under Pearson’s tenure, including 4 drafted players:
John Straka (AA Blue Jays) drafted in the 32nd round
Jay Flaa (Class A) drafted in the 6th round
Juan Gamez (Rookie Ball) drafted in the 31st round
David Ernst drafted in the 47th round

Past Coaching Experience

Prior to being hired as NDSU assistant coach in Summer 2007, Pearson served as the bullpen coach for the Kitsap BlueJackets of the West Coast Collegiate League, aiding them to a playoff appearance.

Pearson was an assistant coach for Mayville State in 2005 and 2007, helping the Comets to a conference tournament title team.

In 2004, Pearson served as assistant coach for North Dakota, helping navigate UND to a school record 37 victories and a regular season conference crown.

Pearson began his coaching career as an assistant on the 2003 state tournament team at May-Port-CG High School.

Academic Achievements at NDSU

NDSU has been a consistent winner in the classroom as well.

  • Bison baseball routinely posted an average 3.0 team GPA and had four players combine for eight CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America © awards
  • Tim Colwell, the 2014 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America © Athlete of the Year for Division I baseball and the Summit League Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
  • NDSU had three student-athletes earn prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
  • The 2014 and 2015 Bison baseball teams earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards.
  • The 2015 NDSU baseball team was awarded the Summit League Team Academic Award for its performance in the classroom. 

Playing Experience

Pearson’s Hall of Fame baseball career started as a two-time All-Mon-Dak shortstop in junior college at Minot State-Bottineau, where he was a member of the 2000 team that won the Mon-Dak championship. He went on to play two season at Mayville State University for ABCA HOF and past ABCA President, Coach Scott Berry. At MSU, David was a power hitting threat as a member of two Region 3 championship teams, one Plains Super Region championship team, and a player in the 2002 NAIA World Series.

David and his wife Keleigh are proud parents of Carter and Berkley.

The DMACC Bears Baseball Core Values:

  • Hard working servant leaders committed to team and community
  • Respecting and playing the game with integrity
  • Developing and promoting players to reach the highest level
  • Sustaining high academic achievement standards
  • Teaching life’s skill to leave a lasting legacy of being a winner on and off the field
  • Competing at the highest level of baseball in order to reach team goals