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The University of Utah Athletics
Baseball Hires Gary Henderson as Associate Head Coach
6/20/2019 3:14 PM | Baseball
Has 30 Years of Coaching Experience
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah head baseball coach Bill Kinneberg announced today the hire of Gary Henderson as the program's associate head coach.
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A seasoned veteran and one of the top pitching minds in the country, Henderson has 30 years of coaching experience at the University of Florida, Oregon State, University of Kentucky and Mississippi State.
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"The ability to attract Gary is huge for our program and our pitching staff," Kinneberg said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and we are really excited to bring him on board."
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After serving as the pitching coach at Mississippi State from 2016-17, Henderson became the interim head coach for the Bulldogs for the 2018 season and led the program to the College World Series in thrilling fashion.
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The success he had as interim coach at Mississippi State came as no surprise, as he had been one of the most successful coaches in the University of Kentucky's baseball history from 2003-2008 as an assistant and 2009-2016 as the head coach. The Wildcats won at least 30 games in five-straight seasons for the first time in school history. The team set the program record for wins on three separate occasions and rose to No. 1 in the nation for three weeks in 2012 for the first time in school history. He was voted SEC Coach of the Year by his peers after the school's record 2012 season. In 2006, the program won its first and only SEC Championship in baseball under the guidance of Henderson and John Cohen.
Henderson reached 200 wins faster than any head coach in Kentucky history. In his tenure with the Wildcats, 72 players were picked in the MLB Draft or signed as free agents.
Well known for his ability to produce Major League talent on the mound, eight of Henderson's pitching protégés have reached the Majors since 2012, which is tops in the SEC.
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"I'm really excited to be joining Coach Kinneberg and the Utah Baseball program," Henderson said. "I've known Bill for more than 35 years and have tremendous respect for him and what he's been able to accomplish at Utah. I'm really looking forward to being a part of Utes baseball."
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Prior to Kentucky, Henderson spent five seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Oregon State. The Beavers notched the school's first College World Series titles in 2006 and 2007, riding the arms of several players recruited by Henderson. The most notable was CWS MVP Kevin Gunderson, who pitched a brilliant postseason in leading the Beavers to the title. Â
At Oregon State, Henderson coached eight Beaver pitchers who were drafted by major league teams, five of whom were selected in the top eight rounds. With the help of Henderson's recruiting efforts, the Beavers improved from 19 wins in 1999 to 31 in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons, finishing 31-24 and 31-23, respectively. In his time with the Beavers, two of Henderson's recruiting classes were ranked among the top 30 nationally. Meanwhile, his pitching staff led the Pac-10 Conference in complete games in both the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Â Â
Before Oregon State, Henderson served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the high-octane Florida Gators from 1995-98. In that time, he helped the Gators to the SEC Championship and the College World Series in both 1996 and 1998. Collegiate Baseball awarded national rankings to all four of Henderson's recruiting classes at Florida, including a No. 4 spot in 1996. The 1996 season also saw Collegiate Baseball tab Henderson as the National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In his playing days, Henderson pitched one year at Linfield College before transferring to San Diego State. He compiled a 19-5 career record at the two schools, earning his first career win in a road matchup at Southern California.
Henderson earned a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State and a master's degree in sports psychology from SDSU. Â
Henderson and his wife, Vicki, have two sons, Alex and Ty.
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A seasoned veteran and one of the top pitching minds in the country, Henderson has 30 years of coaching experience at the University of Florida, Oregon State, University of Kentucky and Mississippi State.
Â
"The ability to attract Gary is huge for our program and our pitching staff," Kinneberg said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and we are really excited to bring him on board."
Â
After serving as the pitching coach at Mississippi State from 2016-17, Henderson became the interim head coach for the Bulldogs for the 2018 season and led the program to the College World Series in thrilling fashion.
Â
The success he had as interim coach at Mississippi State came as no surprise, as he had been one of the most successful coaches in the University of Kentucky's baseball history from 2003-2008 as an assistant and 2009-2016 as the head coach. The Wildcats won at least 30 games in five-straight seasons for the first time in school history. The team set the program record for wins on three separate occasions and rose to No. 1 in the nation for three weeks in 2012 for the first time in school history. He was voted SEC Coach of the Year by his peers after the school's record 2012 season. In 2006, the program won its first and only SEC Championship in baseball under the guidance of Henderson and John Cohen.
Henderson reached 200 wins faster than any head coach in Kentucky history. In his tenure with the Wildcats, 72 players were picked in the MLB Draft or signed as free agents.
Well known for his ability to produce Major League talent on the mound, eight of Henderson's pitching protégés have reached the Majors since 2012, which is tops in the SEC.
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"I'm really excited to be joining Coach Kinneberg and the Utah Baseball program," Henderson said. "I've known Bill for more than 35 years and have tremendous respect for him and what he's been able to accomplish at Utah. I'm really looking forward to being a part of Utes baseball."
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Prior to Kentucky, Henderson spent five seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Oregon State. The Beavers notched the school's first College World Series titles in 2006 and 2007, riding the arms of several players recruited by Henderson. The most notable was CWS MVP Kevin Gunderson, who pitched a brilliant postseason in leading the Beavers to the title. Â
At Oregon State, Henderson coached eight Beaver pitchers who were drafted by major league teams, five of whom were selected in the top eight rounds. With the help of Henderson's recruiting efforts, the Beavers improved from 19 wins in 1999 to 31 in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons, finishing 31-24 and 31-23, respectively. In his time with the Beavers, two of Henderson's recruiting classes were ranked among the top 30 nationally. Meanwhile, his pitching staff led the Pac-10 Conference in complete games in both the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Â Â
Before Oregon State, Henderson served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the high-octane Florida Gators from 1995-98. In that time, he helped the Gators to the SEC Championship and the College World Series in both 1996 and 1998. Collegiate Baseball awarded national rankings to all four of Henderson's recruiting classes at Florida, including a No. 4 spot in 1996. The 1996 season also saw Collegiate Baseball tab Henderson as the National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In his playing days, Henderson pitched one year at Linfield College before transferring to San Diego State. He compiled a 19-5 career record at the two schools, earning his first career win in a road matchup at Southern California.
Henderson earned a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State and a master's degree in sports psychology from SDSU. Â
Henderson and his wife, Vicki, have two sons, Alex and Ty.
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