Gary Henderson
	Position: Head Coach Years at UK: 3rd Year as Head Coach (8th Year at UK)

Long considered one of the top pitching coaches in college baseball, Gary Henderson is in his fourth year as the head coach of Kentucky and his ninth season overall with the Wildcats after spending five seasons as the associate head coach.

Henderson, who was UK's associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for five years before becoming the 25th head coach in the history of Wildcat baseball on June 6, 2008, has been a cornerstone in the success of the UK program over the past nine years, the best nine-year run in the over 100-year history of the program.

Henderson has helped transform the Wildcats into an annual national contender with dynamic recruiting approach, an attention to fundamentals and a constant eye on the mental approach to the game.

During his five years as the associate head coach, Henderson helped lead the Wildcat program to two school-record 44-win seasons, two NCAA Regional Championship appearances, an NCAA Regional host and the first SEC Championship in UK's 75-year history in the SEC.

Henderson's 2008 pitching staff was the best in the Southeastern Conference, pacing the conference with a 3.71 team ERA, ranking as the second-best ERA in school history.

A former national assistant coach of the year in 1996 at Florida, Henderson is in his second collegiate head coaching job, with assistant coaching stops at San Diego State, Fullerton State, Riverside CC, Pepperdine, Florida and Oregon State. Henderson's head coaching experience came as the head coach at Chapman University (Calif.), where he helped transition the program to Division I, guiding the program to a national ranking in just its first year.

Henderson's impact on the UK pitching staff has been drastic, helping transform the Wildcat staff into one of the top in the nation. Individually, impact can be seen by the improvements made to 2008 senior pitchers Andrew Albers, Brock Baber and Greg Dombrowski, a trio which exited UK among the pitching record holders. UK's 2007-08 Friday night starter Chris Rusin became the first Wildcat pitcher tabbed as a first-team All-SEC selection since current MLB reliever Scott Downs in 1997.

After securing the fourth-best recruiting class in the nation in 2008 - a school record - Henderson has helped mentor the group into the next phase of their baseball careers, most notably 2011 first-round MLB Draft pick Alex Meyer, who became the second-highest UK draft pick in program history.

Henderson worked tirelessly with Meyer, who arrived at Kentucky as a 6-foot-6, 175-pound projectable right-hander. Meyer and Henderson worked to smooth mechanics and develop on and off the field into a dynamic starter that earned All-SEC honors in 2011. Meyer finished his UK career ranking among the career and single-season record holders, fanning 253 in 211.2 innings, with 13 wins. In 2011, Meyer finished with a 2.94 ERA and a 7-5 mark, striking out 110 in 101 innings.

With Henderson guiding the pitching staff in 2009, Kentucky ended the season setting a school-record for strikeouts in a season, fanning 523 as a staff. Kentucky also had three pitchers drafted in the 2009 MLB Draft, including two players who signed contracts. Rusin, a 2009 senior, signed to play in the Chicago Cubs organization after being drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round. In 2010, UK junior Logan Darnell went in the sixth round to the Minnesota Twins, after going undrafted out of Nashville suburb, Joelton, Tenn.

Henderson's pitching staff became a force during the 2006 SEC Championship season, ranking third in the conference in ERA. The Wildcats' pitching staff improved under Henderson immediately, as the team improved from a 5.23 ERA in 2005 to a 3.95 ERA during 2006. Most impressively, Henderson transformed the 2006 pitching staff into a weapon, using journeyman weekend starters, Dombrowski, Craig Snipp and Aaron Tennyson, a trio of players without imposing "stuff" that bought into Henderson's approach on the mound. Most notably, Henderson turned Dombrowski - a 5-foot-11 side-arm righty with an 82-mph fastball - into a 10-win performer in 2006.

In 2008, despite playing in a "hitters ballpark", Henderson's pitching staff allowed the fewest home runs in the SEC. That staff also allowed the fewest runs and the fewest earned runs in the SEC in 2008. Regarded as one of the top coaches in college baseball in terms of controlling the running game defensively, Henderson had four consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008, where each of his Wildcat staffs led the SEC in fewest stolen bases allowed.

Henderson's impact can not only be seen in the pitching staff but also in his recruiting ability. His impact was immediate upon his arrival, as UK's first recruiting class under Henderson was hailed as one of the top 25 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Henderson has continued to recruit the best players in the country, as the 2007 class was ranked among the nation's best and the 2008 class was tabbed No. 31. Henderson's 2008 (2009 newcomers) class was widely regarded by many ranks as one of the best class in the nation (fourth overall) and the top recruiting class in program history. The 2009 (2010 newcomers) class isn't too far behind, ranking in the top-15 in Baseball America and as the sixth best class in the nation by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Henderson has kept up the recruiting momentum, signing the No. 16 class in the NCAA in 2010 and the No. 25 class in 2011 (2012 newcomers).

Prior to his current post, Henderson spent five seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Oregon State. Oregon State 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.

In 1996, Collegiate Baseball newspaper tabbed Henderson as the National Assistant Coach of the Year. At the time, he was in his second year at Florida, where he served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the high-octane 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.

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.

Henderson 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 (26) and Ty (9).

What They Are Saying About UK Head Coach Gary Henderson

Oregon State Head Coach Pat Casey ...
"What a great hire for the University of Kentucky. Gary is one of the top coaches in the country and I am so proud of have 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. He has earned the job, he is a man of integrity and someone who will do an outstanding job at Kentucky."

Cincinnati Reds Catcher David Ross ...
"Gary Henderson is going to be a phenomenal head coach, I am really happy for him and the University of Kentucky. Gary is a guy who really knows his stuff and him getting a head coaching job in the SEC is a really long time coming. 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. Gary Henderson deserves to be a head coach at a top-notch major school and he is going to do an outstanding job."

Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin ...
"Gary is very deserving of the Kentucky head coaching job. He has been in the business a long time and is one of the best baseball minds and pitching coaches out there. I have much respect for him, and as a friend I am very happy that he has gotten this opportunity."