St. Thomas baseball coach Dennis Denning retires

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)—St. Thomas baseball coach Dennis Denning is retiring.

Denning announced his decision Tuesday, effective Feb. 1 after 15 seasons coaching at the school. The 65-year-old led the Tommies to two Division III national titles and a pair of runner-up finishes. St. Thomas won the NCAA championship this past season, giving Denning a 522-157 career record, best among Division III coaches during that span.

Denning previously coached for 17 seasons at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, where future NFL quarterbacks Steve Walsh and Chris Weinke were two of his players.

Denning also had Twins star Joe Mauer in his youth camps and coached baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor in elementary school.