After two years as Northwood High's baseball coach, Shannon Blansette is resigning and moving with his family to Minnesota to be closer to his family, athletic director Dean Toohey said Thursday.

Blansette, who was 20-31 in two seasons, will be replaced by former coach Rob Stuart, who stepped down two years ago as head coach. Stuart had still been around the program and had been the Timberwolves' pitching coach this past season.

"My decision to leave Northwood was a very tough one, but in the end being able to raise my 10-month old daughter closer to family far outweighed everything else," Blansette said.

"After being around the Northwood community for two years, I realized how important family is through the tremendous support the parents and extended family provide for their children. I would like for my daughter to have those same opportunities of family as a part of our daily life.

"Our closest relatives are in Minnesota and we decided to make the move after I was offered a teaching job in St. Anthony, Minnesota."

Blansette said he expects to be an assistant baseball coach for a team that has won two of the past three state titles.

Blansette, who coached at Concordia University and Irvine Valley College before taking the Northwood job, said the he has been appreciative of the support he has received

"Northwood has been incredibly good to me," he said. "In fact, the entire school district has been wonderful to both me and my wife Aimee, who resigned from South Lake Middle School last week. We can only hope to find another community that mirrors what we have found in Irvine."

Blansette said he will be around to help Stuart during summer camps.

"I feel very confident that Rob Stuart will continue the program in the right direction," he said.

Stuart, the first baseball coach at Northwood, had a 92-72 record in seven years. He led the Timberwolves to the playoffs in five of the six years that it competed on the varsity level.