Nate Forsyth is in his 7th year as the head softball coach in his second stint as the ECC Panthers' head coach.  He was named head coach prior to the 2016 season, served as an assistant in 2018-19, and then took over once again as head coach for the 2019-20 academic year.  Under Forsyth's leadership the softball program has made strides to be competitive in Region 11, one of the toughest regions for softball in the nation.

A strong group of returners along with a promising freshman class will try to help the Panthers get back on track after a rough 2023 campaign.  ECC did have 6 All-Region players a year ago and Maddy Harding, one of the returning players, was named to the NFCA All-Midwest Region 2nd team.  An emphasis for the Ellsworth program has been excellence in the classroom and last year they had a dozen players on the Spring Academic All-Region team and ECC was named an NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.

The 2022 Panther squad got off to a fast start, compiling a 10-5 record and going on an 8-game winning streak, before cooling off during the league schedule.  The Panthers had 5 players make the All-Region team and they posted a team grade point average of 3.23 for the spring, which earned them recognition as an NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.

The 2021 team posted the most wins in nearly a decade.  The Panthers played in the championship game of the region postseason tournament and had 6 players named to the all-region team.  ECC also did well in the classroom, earning NJCAA Academic Team of the Year honors and placing 15 players on the academic all-region teams.

After Forsyth became the head coach for the 2020 spring campaign, the Panthers were 11 games into their schedule when the season ended because of the COVID pandemic.  Ellsworth had 12 players earn Academic All-Region honors, 11 of them on the first team with grade point averages over 3.5.

In addition to his duties as head softball coach, Forsyth also serves as the Athletic Director and Student Life Director at ECC.  He was the head baseball coach for nine years after arriving at Ellsworth and also coached the golf team for one season.

Forsyth's experience in athletics also includes coaching a team of college-age baseball players for one summer, serving as an assistant baseball coach at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa, and assisting with the baseball program at Vinton-Shellsburg High School in Iowa.  He also played college baseball.

The ECC coach earned his bachelor's degree from Mount Saint Claire College and later received a master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine in California.

Forsyth was an all-district football player in high school while starting at quarterback for Vinton-Shellsburg for two seasons, and he was a state qualifier in swimming.  In baseball, he started for three years, was an all-conference selection as a senior and played on a state championship team that was later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Forsyth and his wife, Shawna, are the parents of a son, Aiden, and the coach enjoys fishing in his spare time.