Jesse Eikum is entering his second season as head coach of the University of Northwestern Baseball team in 2025. He previously served six seasons as an assistant coach for the Eages. Eikum is a Northwestern graduate.
Coach Eikum got into coaching after a fantastic playing career. Eikum played at Biola Universiity for three years and helped the Eagles make their first ever appearnace at the NAIA World Series in 2001 and again in 2003. While Eikum was pitching at Biola the team had an overall record of 145-70 and won the Golden State Athletic Conference twice.
In 2004, Eikum transferred to Northwestern where he had a tremendous season for the Eagles. Contributing as a pitcher and a third baseman, Eikum was named to the UMAC All-Conference First Team and helped the Eagles win 25 games (a school record at the time). Eikum won NAIA Player of the Week during that season. Eikum also had a strong career as an amateur baseball player, winning two Minnesota Class A State Championships for St. Louis Park and was named to the State All-Tournament Team in 2002.
As a coach, Eikum has coached multiple club, high school, and legion teams. He has also served as a college advisor for high school student athletes. From 2008-2009 Coach Eikum was on the coaching staff at St. Thomas while earning his Master of Arts in Athletic & Activities Management. During his time at St. Thomas, Eikum worked under ABCA Hall of Fame coach Dennis Denning and won a NCAA Division III National Championship in 2009. In 2011, Eikum served as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where they finished in 5th place in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
From 2012-2017, Coach Eikum was the Head Coach at Presentation College (SD). Eikum took over a program that had only six returning student athletes and grew the roster to the largest in school history. While he was at Presentation, he led the baseball team through the school's transition from NCAA Division III to NAIA. Under Coach Eikum's leadership, Presentation had multiple signature wins against some of the top teams in the NAIA.
In 2018, Coach Eikum joined the UNW Baseball staff. Eikum was a part of the coaching staff in 2021 that led the Eagles through the best season in school history. UNW went 35-12, which set the record for wins in a season. Early in the season, the 2021 squad made it clear that this was a special group by defeating UW-Whitewater and St. Thomas who were both nationally ranked opponents. The Eagles rolled through their conference opponents and finished 15-1, winning the conference title for the first time since 1996. As a result, the Eagles earned the right to host the Conference Tournament. In their three Conference Tournament games, the Eagles outscored their opponents 36-11 on route to winning the Tournament Championship and earning their first ever NCAA Tournament Appearance. Additionally, the Eagles were rewarded for their great season by being named a host for the NCAA Regional. Northwestern won their first two NCAA Tournament games in program history, defeating Misericordia University and Saint Mary’s University. The Eagles finished the regional in the championship game, coming within one game of the NCAA Division III World Series. The Eagles would repeat as UMAC Regular Season Champions in 2022.
Eikum took over as head coach for the 2024 season, following the retirement of Northwestern Hall of Famer Dave Hieb. His first season as the UNW skipper yielded immediate results, as the Eagles finished in second place in the UMAC with a 16-6 conference record, including a sweep of conference champion Bethany Lutheran.
Coach Eikum currently resides in Woodbury with his wife Snezhana.
