COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Scott Lieser, an assistant coach at Saint John's University the past seven seasons, was named the Johnnies' head baseball coach on Wednesday, May 14.

Lieser (leezer) replaces Jerry Haugen '76, who retired following 48 seasons with a 916-736-5 (.554) record.

The Johnnies boasted a 135-80 (69-31 MIAC) record and finished in the MIAC's top three in all six competitive seasons that Lieser was on staff as an assistant (no postseason in 2020), including a MIAC playoff title and trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2019.

"I would like to thank Scott Becker, Kara Kolomitz and the entire search committee for entrusting me with the Saint John's baseball program," Lieser said. "My family and I are extremely excited to continue being part of the SJU athletic department and CSB/SJU community.

"Leading the Johnnie baseball program is a dream come true, and I am humbled and thrilled to have the opportunity to shape the future of this program. It has been such a privilege to coach alongside Jerry (Haugen) and his staff the past seven seasons, and I am looking forward to honoring the rich history and traditions he has put in place. Saint John's is a special place with outstanding student-athletes and I am eager to get started."

Lieser was a standout right-handed pitcher for Division II St. Cloud State from 2010-13. He ended his career with a school-record 32 victories (32-7 record) in 66 appearances (269.2 Innings pitched), 226 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA. Lieser competed on Husky squads that reached the NCAA Division II Central Regional each of his four years, and earned regional All-Tournament Team honors as a sophomore, junior and senior. 

A two-year team captain, Lieser earned All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors twice and All-Central Region honors three times. He was named Daktronics Division II All-America honorable mention in 2013, when he went 10-3 with five complete games, 66 strikeouts to 11 walks and a 2.71 ERA in 83.0 innings.

Following graduation, Lieser played professionally in the Milwaukee Brewers organization for three seasons (2013-15) and reached the high-A level. In 63 professional appearances, mostly as a reliever, Lieser posted a 4-5 record with two saves, 87 strikeouts to 14 walks and a 1.19 WHIP in 99 innings pitched. During his college years, he played summer baseball in the Northwoods League with Waterloo (2010) and Willmar (2011-12).

Lieser first joined the Johnnies' baseball program as an assistant coach for the 2018-19 academic year before taking over as the activities director at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle High School from 2019-21. Lieser served as a volunteer assistant coach at SJU, in a minor capacity, those two seasons before returning to Collegeville full-time in the fall of 2021 as both a member of SJU's Institutional Advancement staff and as a baseball assistant.

Prior to his stop at Augsburg as an assistant coach in 2017-18, Lieser coached travel baseball with the Minnesota Select U-13 squad and served as junior varsity coach at Centennial (Minn.) High School. He was also a pitching coach in the Northwoods League for two summers with St. Cloud (2018) and Willmar (2017). 

"Scott Lieser exemplifies everything we value at Saint John's — leadership, integrity and a deep commitment to the holistic development of student-athletes," said Kara Kolomitz, chief operating officer at Saint Ben's and Saint John's. "His experience, both as a high-level player and as a dedicated member of our coaching staff, uniquely positions him to build on the strong foundation established by Coach Haugen. We are excited to watch Scott lead the next chapter of Johnnie Baseball with energy, purpose and great care for our student-athletes."

A native of Browerville, Minn., Lieser played baseball, football and basketball for the Tigers, leading the baseball team to two state-tournament appearances and earning team Most Valuable Player honors twice. He was named a Minnesota Lions' All-Star following his senior season in 2009.

Scott and his wife, Nora, reside in Freeport with their daughter, Vivian, and golden retriever, Wrigley. Nora is the associate athletic director at St. Cloud State.

SJU finished third in the MIAC with a 14-6 record (25-16 overall) and made its 15th-consecutive appearance in the MIAC Tournament (17th overall) this spring. The Johnnies finished second in the MIAC in slugging percentage (.463), third in batting average (.307) and on-base percentage (.392), and fourth in ERA (4.59) and opponent batting average (.261) in conference play.