Twenge Steps Down as Baseball Coach, Former Major Leaguer Takes Reins

After 19 seasons at the helm, Paul Twenge has stepped down as head baseball coach at Valparaiso University.
He has accepted a position as activities coordinator and baseball coach at Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, Minn.

Paul Twenge, former head baseball coach at Valpo

Tracy Woodson, a former major league baseball player, takes over at Valpo as the 16th head baseball coach in the program’s history and just the fifth since 1946.

Woodson brings eight years of professional coaching experience as well as 13 seasons of professional playing experience to the Crusader program. He was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1987 to 1989, playing the corner infield for the World Champion 1988 squad. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1992 and 1993.

“We are excited to have someone who has competed successfully at the highest levels of college and professional baseball lead our program,” said Valpo Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera. “Tracy has played for some of the finest managers and coaches in baseball, has managed championship teams, and has developed outstanding players. He is a tremendous addition to our staff.”

Woodson attended North Carolina State University, where he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1984, as well as a Second Team All-American. He recently was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team.

LaBarbera called Twenge a “wonderful ambassador to the baseball world for not only the school but also the community.”

Twenge this year completed his 25th season of collegiate coaching, tallying his 500th career victory in May. He has more victories, 378, than any other coach in Crusader history. Earlier this season, he coached his 1,000th game in a Valpo uniform.

A 2001 Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year, he guided the Brown and Gold to nine Mid-Con Tournament appearances, and one of the biggest victories in school history, a win at No. 1-ranked Notre Dame.