MOORHEAD, Minn. – MSU Moorhead athletic director Chad Markuson has announced the hiring of Vanessa Kellems to the position of head softball coach. Kellems becomes the 17^th leader of the Dragon softball program. 
 
"I am super honored and excited to be joining MSUM and becoming a part of the Dragon family," said Kellems. "These student-athletes in this program have great potential and I am excited to see what we can do in the following season to continue to grow and achieve new levels of success."
 
Kellems comes to Moorhead following a stint at the University of Saint Katherine in San Marcos, Calif. She served as the head assistant for the Firebird program, primarily working as the hitting coach. She also developed a film analysis program for hitters and fielders. 
 
"Coach Kellems is a great fit for our softball program," said Markuson. "She shares our university core values and holds the balance of academics and athletics in high esteem. I am excited to have her lead and mentor our softball student-athletes."
 
Prior to her work at Saint Katherine, Kellems was the head softball coach at Westcliff University in Irvine, Calif., from 2021 until 2023. In her tenure, Kellems led the Warriors to 50 wins over her first two seasons at the helm. She helped guide Westcliff to a 32-20 record in 2023 which included a 19-9 mark in league play. The Warriors hit for a .311 average that season while scoring 260 runs. In total, Kellems helped 13 Warriors to All-Cal Pac honors including one Cal Pac Player of the Year in 2023. 
 
Kellems began her head coaching career at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., in 2019 until leaving for Westcliff in 2021. In her first season as head coach, Kellems navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed the Griffins to a 12-6 mark in a condensed season. Kellems served as assistant coach at Grossmont in 2015-16 and was a volunteer assistant for the program in 2018 until she moved into the head coaching role. 
 
As a player, Kellems was a stalwart for South Dakota State from 2012 until completing her degree in 2015. Kellems played in 108 games for the Jackrabbits in her career, primarily playing on the infield. She wrapped her collegiate career with an impressive .941 fielding percentage with only five errors committed in her 108 games. 
 
The La Mesa, Calif., native earned her bachelor's degree in health education from South Dakota State in 2015. She went on to complete her Masters in exercise science at Northern Colorado in 2018. Kellems earned her second Masters degree in inspired teaching & learning through leadership from National University. She is currently in the process of earning her Doctorate in leadership from Westcliff University.