Ex-Sonoma County softball coach arrested on alleged sex abuse charges

Former Sonoma County club softball coach Kurt Ludwigsen has been arrested, suspected of almost 100 sex-related offenses involving his female players at a New York Christian college.

Ludwigsen, 43 and now a resident of New Jersey, coached in Sonoma County for more than ?10 years. He founded the Nor Cal Assault 18 Gold travel team program in 2004 and prior to that was a volunteer assistant coach for the Sonoma State University Seawolves softball program for two seasons.

He was fired from Nyack College in March during a police investigation into allegations of inappropriate contact with his players.

Late last week, he was arrested after an investigation into allegations of kissing, touching and harassing 13 players, South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Brent Newbury said in a news release issued Thursday.

Ludwigsen has been arraigned on 44 counts of forcible touching of another’s sexual parts, 49 counts of harassment involving unwanted physical contact and one count of sexual abuse - all misdemeanors, Newbury said.

Police said they were told the inappropriate behavior began in October shortly after Ludwigsen was hired as the head softball coach at Nyack College.

The allegations came ?to light in March, while the team traveled in Arizona, according to news reports.

Ludwigsen is married and has two children.

In Sonoma County, Ludwigsen was active in the softball community. As well as volunteering at the college, he was a one-year volunteer to the Seawolves Athletic Association and in 2004 started the Nor Cal Assault softball program.

Brandon Bronzan, associate athletic director at SSU, said he was not aware of any allegations against Ludwigsen from the 2002 and 2003 seasons, when the man volunteered for the softball program.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@rossmannreport.