(Spearfish, SD) – The Spearfish Sasquatch of the Expedition League today announced DJ Engle as the new Head Coach for the 2020 season. 

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to be the next Manager of the Sasquatch.  Having talked with Mr. Schmidt regarding the situation we are both on the same page about developing a roster that is going to compete for a championship.  I look forward to the process of creating the roster and developing a culture that will stick in the community of Spearfish for a long time to come", said Engle.

Originally from Milwaukee, WI, DJ graduated from Nathan Hale HS in 2011. As a Prep Athlete he earned honors as First Team All Conference, First Team All Area, First Team All Suburban, and First Team All State. DJ went on to play at UW-Milwaukee (NCAA Div. 1) where in 2012 he took a Redshirt and moved on to College of Lake County (NJCAA Div. 2) where as a Sophomore he earned All-Conference and All-Region honors. Following his standout Junior College career he finished his final two seasons at Chicago State University (NCAA Div. 1).  

Following his playing career, he immediately started coaching including stops at the High School and Travel Ball level.  In 2017-18 he started his college coaching career when he joined the staff at Lakeland University (NCAA Div. 3). At Lakeland, Engle was in charge of the hitters, outfielders, and helped with the pitching staff, as well as, being the Head Junior Varsity Coach.  The summer of 2018 Engle was the lead assistant for the Bismarck Larks in the Northwoods League.  During his time in the Northwoods League he coached future draft picks, Ripken Reyes, Jeff Lindgren, and Connor Perry, along with being the First Half North Division Champions.  

In 2018 Engle became the Pitching Coach at McPherson College, where under his instruction the pitching staff had a historic season in their program, breaking records including; Wins, ERA, Strikeouts, Opponent's Batting Average, and Saves.  2019 also saw the Bulldog program garner the Conference Reliever of the Year Award which was won by Jarrod Manick, and another pitcher earned Honorable Mention All-KCAC. Engle enters his second season as the Bulldogs Pitching Coach and Strength and Conditioning Coordinator in 2019-2020. 

“We are thrilled to name DJ as the next Head Coach of the Spearfish Sasquatch. Coach Engle quickly rose to the top of a nationwide search filled with several high-quality applicants. He brings an impressive pedigree to Spearfish and we’re very excited to get started on building a championship caliber club for the 2020 season!", said General Manager Eric Schmidt.

The remaining coaching staff and player signings will be announced in the coming weeks.