Jim Senske, the first of just three high school baseball coaches in Minnesota history to reach 700 career victories, died Feb. 28.

Senske, of New Ulm, was 86.

Senske coached baseball at New Ulm High School for 40 years. He retired in 2003 with a 707-171 (.805 winning percentage) career record. His teams won 26 conference titles, and he took 19 teams to the state tournament. The Eagles finished as runners-up in 1970 and 1994 before winning the Class 3A championship in 2002 in Senske's next-to-last season.

His state tournament teams also finished third seven times and won the consolation championship five times. Among the players Senske coached at New Ulm were future major leaguers Terry Steinbach, Brian Raabe and Jamie Hoffmann.

Senske, who taught social studies at New Ulm, also coached the New Ulm boys basketball team for 23 seasons. He took one New Ulm basketball team to the state tournament, in 1975. He was named the state coach of the year in baseball three times and once in basketball.

Senske was born in Augusta, Wis., but grew up in St. Paul. He attended St. Paul Wilson High School and Hamline University. At Hamline, he earned four letters in baseball and two in basketball.

He is a member of five halls of fame: Hamline, New Ulm American Legion, New Ulm Amateur Baseball, the MSHSL Coaches Hall of Fame and the MSHSL Hall of Fame.

Lowell Scearcy of Brainerd (765 career victories) and Bob Karn of St. Cloud Cathedral (848) are the only other high school coaches in state history who have reached 700 career victories.