Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- E-mail:
- glh189@msstate.edu
- Phone:
- 325-3597
In June 2016, one of the top pitching masterminds made his way to Starkville, as 28-year coaching veteran Gary Henderson was named Mississippi State’s new pitching coach.
The 2012 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, Henderson is a seasoned veteran and one of the top pitching minds in the entire country. He has 29 years of coaching experience, including spending the last eight seasons at the helm of the Kentucky Wildcats, where his teams had unprecedented success and set numerous program records.
During his first season at State in 2017, Henderson led what may have been one of the most impressive coaching jobs in recent memory as he maneuvered around injuries to eight pitchers, which heavily depleted his staff. Henderson was able to maximize the pitchers he did have as three position players (Brant Blaylock, Cole Gordon and Jake Mangum) recorded victories on the mound during the year as the trio combined for five wins. Henderson also helped lead Konnor Pilkington to a spot on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, the summer following the 2017 season.
Well known for his ability to produce Major League talent on the mound, seven of Henderson’s pitching protégés have reached the Majors since 2012, which is tops in the SEC. That total is two better than Florida and Vanderbilt’s five during that five-year span.
Kentucky just completed the most successful five-year span in program history under the leadership of Henderson, as 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 Cohen.
Henderson is the fastest coach in Kentucky history to reach 200 wins. In his tenure with the Wildcats, 72 players were picked in the MLB Draft or signed as a free agent.
Henderson served as the pitching coach on the USA Collegiate National Team during the 2015 summer. While managing a dynamic pitching staff, Henderson oversaw a Team USA no-hitter over the Cuban Senior National Team, the first time Cuba had been no-hit in international play. Team USA won its series meetings with Cuba and Taiwan.
Prior to Kentucky, Henderson spent five seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Oregon State. The Beavers notched the school’s first ever 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.
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.
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, a former standout prep quarterback, earned a bachelor’s degree in English from San Diego State and a master’s degree in sports psychology from SDSU.
Henderson and his wife, Vicki, have two sons, Alex and Ty.
What They’re Saying About Gary Henderson:
"Coach Henderson has played a huge part in so many players lives. He is one of the best recruiters in the country. I mean he found me all the way up in Saskatchewan, Canada. Not many guys make it from up there down here. He does a great job and I think his ability to form relationships with players and their families really just attracts people to this program and it should. He has that personality and is just a tremendous person. He’s very intense, is a tremendous competitor and he’s locked in at all times. Guys just want to be around him, he’s a winner."
- Minnesota Twins 2013 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Andrew Albers
"I love Coach Henderson. He actually came out to a game here in Reno (when Cowgill played for the Triple-A Aces). He was recruiting a kid in Sacramento, I think, and just jumped over a night and we sat outside at the field for at least an hour and just talked about everything from baseball to his son, Ty. He’s a friend and he’s been great mentor to me. He’d do anything for us and, at the same time, we try to do everything we can for them. It’s a great relationship I have with them and they take great care of me, so I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done."
- Former UK All-American and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Collin Cowgill
"Gary is one of the top coaches in the country and I am so proud of having gotten to work with him and be apart of his life. Gary’s work ethic, his attention to detail and his pure knowledge of what is going on with all aspects of the game makes him an outstanding coach. Gary is someone who has always been ahead of the game when it comes to recruiting and someone who has had an amazing impact on programs."
- Oregon State Head Coach Pat Casey
"Gary is a guy who really knows his stuff. He is a coach that can really relate to the players, a guy who is smart and witty, definitely one of the funniest coaches I have ever had."
- Former MLB Catcher & 2016 World Series Champion David Ross
