STARKVILLE — Gary Henderson is close to becoming the new Mississippi State baseball pitching coach, a source said Thursday.
The deal is expected to be finalized today.
The source also said volunteer assistant Will Coggin will be promoted to a full-time assistant and gain the title of recruiting coordinator.
Henderson, who stepped down after eight seasons as the Kentucky coach, will fill a void left by Wes Johnson. Johnson, who spent one season at MSU, was announced as Arkansas’ new pitching coach Wednesday.
Cohen hired Henderson when he took over the Kentucky program in 2004.
Henderson took over for Cohen at Kentucky, when Cohen left for his MSU, his alma mater, in 2009. Henderson also was an assistant at Cal State Fullerton (1989), Riverside (Calif.) City College (1990), Chapman (Calif.) University (1991-92), Pepperdine (1994), Florida (1995-98), and Oregon State (1999-2002). Henderson began his coaching career as the junior varsity coach at San Diego State, his alma mater, in 1988. He was the head coach at Chapman in 1993.
He led Kentucky to two NCAA regional appearances (2012 and 2014) and was named the 2012 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year after the Wildcats finished 18-12 and second in the SEC Eastern Division.
Henderson would be the third pitching coach for Cohen in the last eight months. Johnson took over for Butch Thompson last October after Thompson was hired as the new Auburn coach.
Coggin would take over for Nick Mingione, who was hired Monday as Kentucky’s new coach Monday. Coggin joined the MSU staff last August after serving three years as an assistant coach at St. Johns River (Fla.) State College. Coggin also served as the coordinator of camps. He was on Cohen’s staff from 2009-12.
Coggin played for MSU from 2007-08 after transferring from Northeast Mississippi C.C. He played for the Tigers from 2005-06.
n In other baseball news, Jacob Robson and Zac Houston announced through Twitter that they signed professional contracts with the Detroit Tigers.
Junior center fielder Robson was taken in the eighth round (235 overall) last weekend in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Junior left-handed pitcher Houston was taken in the 11th round (325th).
They join junior left-hander Daniel Brown and junior first baseman Nathaniel Lowe as Bulldogs who will forgo their senior seasons and start professional baseball.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis reported MSU signee and George County High School first baseman/left-hander Walker Robbins signed a deal worth $450,000 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Robbins was taken in the fifth round (166th). He joins Heartland (Ill.) C.C. right-hander Colin Holderman as MSU signees who won’t play for the Bulldogs.
n Junior right-hander Dakota Hudson was named a third-team All-American by D1Baseball.com.
It is the fourth All-America honor for the Dunlap, Tennessee, native. He was a second-team selection by Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He was also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region team.
Hudson, drafted 34th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals, was 9-5 with a 2.55 ERA. The All-Southeastern Conference selection struck out 115, eighth most in school history.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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