Illinois State University has announced the addition of David Pearson to its baseball coaching staff ahead of the 2026 season. Head coach Steve Holm confirmed the appointment, highlighting Pearson’s experience as both a scout and coach.
Pearson joins the Redbirds after serving as a Midwest Area Scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that role, he evaluated prospects from several states, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Before his scouting position with the Dodgers, Pearson was an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. He worked as the Hawkeyes’ hitting coach for one season and contributed to their 36-win campaign—one of the top records in program history.
Earlier in his career, Pearson spent two years as an assistant coach at North Dakota State from 2019 to 2021. The Bison achieved a program-best 42 wins in 2021 under his guidance and won the Summit League Tournament title along with an NCAA Regional bid. In that tournament run, North Dakota State defeated Nevada 6-1 for its first Division I tournament win.
Pearson had also served on the Bison staff from 2007 to 2016, ending that tenure as associate head coach. During those years, he helped secure their first Summit League Tournament title and NCAA Regional berth in 2014. The team made multiple appearances in conference title games and tournaments during his time there.
His coaching background includes three years as head coach at Des Moines College and earlier positions at Mayville State—his alma mater—and North Dakota. As a player at Mayville State and Minot State-Bottineau before that, Pearson earned several honors and was later inducted into the Dakota College at Bottineau Hall of Fame in 2015.
Coach Holm stated: “David’s resume speaks for itself, and our program feels very fortunate to be able to add him to our team. I have already received plenty of messages regarding how good a hire David is! He will be in charge of our hitters and our infielders, and I am sure his positive impact on our program will not stop there.”
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