(Monday, June 22; Sioux Center, Iowa) Dordt University has announced that Aaron Forrest and Aaron Eshelman will serve as pitching coach and hitting coach, respectively, for the Defender baseball program.
 
"We're excited to welcome Aaron Forrest and Aaron Eshelman to our coaching staff. Aaron Forrest knows firsthand what it takes to win games in the GPAC, and his knowledge equips him well to lead the development of our pitching staff," said Dordt head baseball coach Ian Eshelman. "Aaron Eshelman has coached championship-level baseball on the national stage in both the NAIA and NCAA Division II. He also brings high-level recruiting experience with him to Dordt."
 
Forrest is a 2024 graduate of Doane University and is currently an assistant coach with Traverse City in the Northwoods League. He has served as a strength coach at Centennial High School (Arizona) since 2023 and was an assistant coach at Paradise Valley Community College (Arizona) during the spring 2024 season. He also pitched in the Frontier League in 2024 and 2025 before retiring as an active player. While at Doane, he earned All-GPAC honors and compiled a combined 21-4 record in his final two seasons with the Tigers.
 
"I find myself being called to coach, mentor and disciple the next generation of talent in the game of baseball. I believe that my approach to the development of well-rounded athletes aligns directly with Dordt University's Christ-centered education and student experience," said Forrest. "Baseball is an opportunity to invest in young men during a pivotal and highly formative stage in their lives. While I am committed to their development as athletes, my greater role is to model the qualities of our Father. Integrity, humility and servant leadership are crucial to showing how Christ works in our lives and how He can touch the hearts of those around us."
 
Eshelman is a 2022 graduate of Dordt and played for the Defenders in 2021 and 2022. Most recently, he served at Southeastern (Florida) in 2025 and 2026, where the Fire qualified for the NAIA World Series in both seasons and claimed the national runner-up finish in 2025. He also coached at Texas Permian Basin in 2024 after beginning his coaching career at Missouri Western in 2023. In addition, he has served as an assistant coach with the Des Moines Peak Prospects, the Junction City Brigade and the Danville Dans.
 
"I feel a responsibility to my players to lead by example. Helping create better men is a privilege, and it has placed a responsibility on me to be the man I want my players to become," said Aaron Eshelman. "I realized early in my coaching career that becoming a servant leader completely changed my perspective on leadership. Having been at Dordt before, I am aware of how special a place it is. Dordt is a community unlike any other I have been a part of, either before or since."
 
Ian Eshelman was named Dordt head coach in 2025 and guided the Defenders to 18 wins in his first season and 20 wins in his second season.
 
"Both of these additions will help our program live out the Defender Way and build toward becoming a contender in the GPAC," said Ian Eshelman.