Bio

Todd Verwers enters his 10th season as the head coach of Graceland University Softball, his alma mater. Since taking over the program in Fall 2016, Coach Verwers has compiled an overall record of 169-234, ranking him second all-time in wins at Graceland behind legendary coach William “Duke” Dudek.

A two-sport athlete during his time as a student at Graceland in the early 1990s, Verwers competed in both baseball (under Head Coach Jeff Douglas) and football (under Coach Dudek). Before stepping into the head coaching role, he served as an assistant coach for both the Graceland football and softball programs, working under Coach Douglas and Coach Brynn Braddock, respectively.

Prior to his return to Lamoni, Verwers spent three seasons as the head softball coach at Marshalltown Community College, where he posted a record of 61-84, guiding the team to the postseason each year. He also served as an assistant coach at Southwestern Community College for four seasons under head coach Lindsay Stumpff.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Verwers built an outstanding high school coaching résumé in Iowa. Over 14 seasons, he compiled a 382-130 record and earned 11 Coach of the Year honors in softball.

Coach Verwers also enjoyed a highly decorated playing career in men’s fastpitch softball, competing for over two decades. During that span, he helped lead his teams to multiple district, state, and regional championships. He officially retired in 2009 after a successful four-year stint with the Quad City Sox, highlighted by a 1-0 shutout victory over powerhouse Dolan & Murphy (Aurora, IL) at the International Softball Congress level. In 2025, he was inducted into the Central Iowa Men’s Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame. He credits much of his coaching philosophy and success to the style of play developed during his fastpitch career.

Verwers currently resides in Prole, Iowa with his wife, Denise. The couple has three children—all proud Graceland University alumni: Trent Verwers, Riley Verwers-Casimiro (Evaristo), and Kaley Verwers. They are also the proud grandparents of Valerie, Elsie, and Sebastian.

Graceland University Softball – Year-by-Year Under Coach Verwers