MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University head baseball coach Paul Blanchard announced on Sunday his decision to retire at the end of the 2023 season after serving as the program's head coach for 27 seasons.
 
The program's winningest coach and one of the most respected baseball coaches in the country, Blanchard's teams have recorded 564 victories, producing 15 winning seasons. His teams have won 25 or more games 12 times, which includes four 30-plus wins seasons. The Mustangs have made one NCAA Tournament appearance, captured one Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship, three NSIC Tournament championships, have been NSIC Tournament runners-up four times and have made 15 appearances in the NSIC Tournament.
 
"I wish to thank all of the former and current players we've had for allowing me to be their coach as I will miss the daily interaction with players the most," Blanchard said. "I also wish to thank all my former assistant coaches, the SMSU Administration, athletic department personnel, coaches, faculty, friends and staff who contributed support for our program over the years. I also want to thank the city of Marshall for allowing us to use their facilities. They have been great to work with."
 
"SMSU has allowed my wife and I a chance to raise a family in a great setting here in Marshall. We will be forever grateful," Blanchard said. "This summer starts a new chapter in our lives. We will continue to be a part of the community, at least for a while. I'm still deciding what I'll be doing next, but I'll be involved in baseball and continue mentoring young coaches. Nancy and I are scheduled to have our first grandchild in mid-April as our daughter Jessica and son-in-law Kyle are expecting. We can also make more trips to Seattle to visit our son Joe. Thank you again to all for making the last 27 years a great experience."
 
Named the fifth coach in SMSU history on July 14, 1996, Blanchard has recruited and coached some of the best players ever to play at SMSU. He has coached two NSIC Players of the Year, one NSIC Pitcher of the Year, two NSIC Newcomers of the Year, 25 all-region players, four NCAA All-Americans, two Major League Baseball draft picks and one MLB free agent. He has coached 10 players who have played professional baseball following their careers at SMSU. The program has also recorded CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees 17 times, while five players have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
 
"Paul has been an incredible asset to the SMSU community and to the sport of baseball for the past 27 years," said Jen Flowers, SMSU's Director of Athletics. "He has served hundreds of student-athletes during his career; always working with their best interests in mind. He has been an invaluable resource and mentor to many Mustang coaches and staff members. His impact on our department is immeasurable. We thank Paul for his commitment to Mustang Athletics and wish he and Nancy the very best in their retirement."
 
Blanchard has coached at the high school and collegiate level for 38 years, including serving as a head coach for 33 years. He has amassed 702 wins in his career between, Division II, Junior College and high school levels.
 
Following his collegiate baseball playing career at both Creighton University and the University of Minnesota, along with three seasons of playing football for the Gophers, Blanchard made his move to the coaching ranks in 1985 as a graduate assistant for the University of Minnesota.
 
In 1986, Blanchard was named head coach at Normandale Community College, where he made his first head coaching experience a memorable one, as he led the Lions to a 28-4 record and a trip to the NJCAA World Series. After one season at Normandale, Blanchard returned to the University of Minnesota as an assistant coach for three seasons.
 
Blanchard moved to the high school ranks in 1991 where he became the head coach of Minnetonka High School. During his two-year tenure with the Skippers, his teams were 41-10, won two conference championships and finished third place at the 1992 Class AA state tournament.
 
In 1993, Blanchard returned to Normandale and during the next three years, he led the program to an overall record of 69-33, which included the 1994 MCCC state championship and a runner-up finish at the Region 13 tournament. During his final season in 1995, he led the Lions to a third-place finish in the region.
 
After leaving Normandale in 1995, he spent the 1996 season as an assistant coach at St. John's in Collegeville, Minn., before taking over at SMSU in the summer of 1996.
 
In his first season as head coach in 1997, SMSU set a-then school record with 31 victories and won the NSIC Tournament championship. The following season, SMSU set a school record with 33 victories and finished second in the NSIC regular season and was NSIC Tournament runners-up. SMSU won the NSIC Tournament in both 1999 and 2002 and was tournament runners-up in 2000, 2005 and 2010. In 2009, SMSU started the season 8-0 on its way to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Well-respected across the game at all levels, Blanchard has been heavily involved with the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), speaking at its National Convention numerous times, while developing the ABCA Rookie Coaches Mentorship program. In 2003, he was named to the USA Baseball staff to help develop the USA Baseball 16-under National Team that competed and won the gold medal at the world championships in Taiwan.
 
SMSU opens the 2023 season on March 1 with a doubleheader at Briar Cliff (Iowa). The Mustangs are scheduled to have their first home games on March 25-26 with a three-game series versus Wayne State College at Legion Field.
 
Flowers said a national search to replace Blanchard will begin in late April.