Assistant hitting coach Nicolaisen joining Ole Miss softball staff

ST. LOUIS -- Daniel Nicolaisen, who was hired by the organization in 2020 and was in his first season as an assistant hitting coach for the Major League team, has resigned from his position, citing family concerns, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said on Friday. Nicolaisen, a native of Denmark, recently accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Ole Miss softball program.

“Daniel Nicolaisen stepped down, and I got a resignation letter from him this past weekend, and really it just came down to sort of a lifestyle choice,” Mozeliak said of Nicolaisen, who worked for the Seton Hall softball program prior to joining the Cardinals. “We hired him out of the university level Seton Hall, and I think the demands of Major League Baseball was really difficult for him, so he's going to end up going back to Ole Miss and rejoin the collegiate ranks.”

Mozeliak said the Cardinals will fill Nicolaisen’s position with Minor League hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn. Cardinals Hall of Famer and closer Jason Isringhausen, who has worked for the franchise for years in a special advisor role, will be on the bench and in the bullpen for the weekend series against the Phillies in a supplemental role. Manager Oliver Marmol was excited about having Isringhausen around Cardinals players to extol some of the wisdom he acquired during his playing days.

“I love having Izzy around, and anytime you can have that level of experience around your players, it’s great,” Marmol said. “One of the advantages we have in this [organization] is bringing those guys back around and allowing them to speak in meetings and one on ones and making the most out of their time here. We’ll use him in a couple of different ways, but I’m definitely excited to see his face here.”