Lukkason Named Assistant Baseball Coach at UMC

CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball program announced the addition of Michael Lukkason as assistant baseball coach. Lukkason, an East Grand Forks, Minn., native was an assistant coach for his alma mater Dakota Wesleyan University last season after earning NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2013 as a short stop.

“We are pleased to add Michael to our staff,” said UMC head coach Steve Gust. “He knows what needs to be done on the field and understands by philosophy as well as anyone. As a player, he established himself as an elite all-around player. We expect he will do the same as a coach, and has already proven he can help develop student-athletes from a coaching perspective.”

Lukkason was the 12th All-American in DWU history under current UMC head coach Steve Gust. Lukkason was named Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Year during his senior season in 2013. He was an All-GPAC selection as a junior and senior for the Tigers. As a senior, Lukkason hit .401 with five home runs, 40 runs scored, 43 runs batted in, 13 doubles and one triple.

Prior to arriving at DWU, Lukkason was named Athlete of the Year at East Grand Forks High school during his senior season. As a member of East Grand Forks legion team, hit seven home runs. In addition to his success on the baseball field, Lukkason was team MVP of the tennis team and competed at the state tennis
tournament, and was also named most improved on the hockey team.

Lukkason earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Business from Dakota Wesleyan University in 2012. Master of Education and Administration from DWU in 2014.

Michael married Laura Gast of East Grand Forks in July of 2014.

In addition to Lukkason, Gust has also added another former player, Alex Sumner, to his staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Sumner earned his Bachelor of Science in Sport Management. Sumner set several school
records while playing for Gust at DWU and helped lead the team to the NAIA National Tournament.

Following his time at Dakota Wesleyan, Sumner played three years of independent minot league baseball earning honors as an All-Star Short Stop in the New York State League. In addition, he led the league in
batting average and stolen bases. Sumner is currently the Director of Sports for Special Olympics North
Dakota and is the Coordinator of Extra Innings Baseball, out of Grand Forks, N.D.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.