Dan Rivera enters his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Dickinson State baseball program and serves as the Blue Hawks’ recruiting coordinator. Rivera works primarily with the pitching staff while playing a leading role in recruiting, roster development and the day-to-day development of Blue Hawk pitchers.
Rivera’s impact on the pitching staff was evident during the 2026 season. Dickinson State lowered its team ERA from 7.73 in 2025 to 5.38, the program’s lowest mark since baseball returned in 2021. The Blue Hawks also lowered their team WHIP from 1.84 to 1.59 and held opponents to a .279 batting average after allowing a .317 mark the previous season.
The improvement was highlighted by several individual performances. Mason Lunzman earned First Team All-Frontier Conference and Gold Glove honors after going 8-3 with a 3.84 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 84.1 innings. His eight victories tied the Dickinson State single-season record.
Reliever Trent Chavez also developed into one of the top bullpen arms in the conference, earning Second Team All-Frontier honors after posting a 2.76 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and five saves in 16 appearances. Chavez allowed opponents to hit just .210 while striking out 19 batters in 16.1 innings.
Rivera also worked closely with Jacob Scully during a record-setting senior season in 2025. Scully earned Second Team All-North Star Athletic Association honors while winning seven games and setting Dickinson State single-season records with 93.2 innings pitched and eight complete games. His 87 strikeouts ranked third on the program’s single-season list. That season culminated with Dickinson State making the first NAIA Baseball National Championship appearance in program history.
As recruiting coordinator, Rivera has helped strengthen the talent and depth throughout the Blue Hawk roster. Dickinson State had eight players receive All-Frontier Conference recognition in 2026. Lunzman and Luis Rodriguez earned first-team honors, while Ty Farwell, Ramon Teran, Trent Chavez, Jaden Salazar and Jadyn Roberts were selected to the second team. Moses Dokes received honorable mention recognition.
The 2026 honors continued a growing list of postseason recognition during Rivera’s tenure. Rodriguez and Scully earned Second Team All-NSAA honors in 2025, with Scully becoming one of several pitchers to produce career or single-season marks among the best in Dickinson State history while working with Rivera.
Before beginning his coaching career, Rivera pitched collegiately at Eastern Nazarene College and Concordia University, Nebraska. At Eastern Nazarene, Rivera served as the Lions’ closer, posting a 3.13 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 23 innings while helping the program return to postseason play.
Rivera completed his playing career at Concordia, where he became a high-strikeout option out of the Bulldogs’ bullpen. As a senior in 2023, he led the team with 17 relief appearances and finished with a 3.48 ERA, three saves and 42 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. His 18.29 strikeouts per nine innings highlighted a season in which opponents hit just .192 against him, and he earned honorable mention All-Great Plains Athletic Conference recognition.
In 2022, Rivera threw four hitless innings and struck out 10 as part of the sixth recorded no-hitter in Concordia baseball history. He finished that season with 43 strikeouts in 26 innings and helped the Bulldogs capture the GPAC postseason championship. Concordia advanced to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round in each of Rivera’s two seasons with the program.
Across his two seasons at Concordia, Rivera struck out 85 batters in 46.2 innings.
Rivera earned a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Eastern Nazarene College and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University, Nebraska.
