SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – University of Utah Director of Athletics Mark Harlan announced that the baseball team has promoted Gary Henderson to head coach.

Gary Henderson will be the ninth head baseball coach in program history after serving the last two seasons as the associate head coach.

“It was extremely gratifying to have the high level of interest in this search,” said Harlan. “Coaches from prominent programs across the country were involved and spoken to. However, as we all analyzed the candidates, it became clear that we had someone very special on our coaching staff. To have a coach of Gary Henderson’s caliber and experience, who also has such familiarity with the young men in our program, makes him an ideal leader for the next era of Utah Baseball. He has produced tremendous results both as a head coach and pitching coach with some of the premiere programs in the most competitive conferences in the nation, along with recruiting and coaching many young men who have gone on to major league careers. In his two years as our associate head coach he has demonstrated all of the qualities that translate to success, and I’m thrilled that he is the new head coach for our program.”

We are excited to announce that Gary Henderson will be our next head coach!

📰 https://t.co/BWfjDgoBaz pic.twitter.com/fgz4v7mgva

— Utah Baseball (@utahbaseball) June 9, 2021

Henderson joined the Utah baseball program in 2019. He earned the NCBWA 2018 National Coach of the Year as the interim head coach of Mississippi State and led the Bulldogs to the College World Series.

Henderson also has stints with Florida, Oregon State and Kentucky.

“The last two years have been wonderful to immerse myself into the Utah athletics family,” Henderson said. “It has been a joy to develop relationships with our student-athletes and I am excited for the opportunity to continue to help them reach their academic, athletic and personal goals. This community, campus and city make the University of Utah one of the best places to be in collegiate athletics. I can’t thank Mark Harlan, Charmelle Green and Steve Smith enough for the opportunity to lead this program.”

He takes over the program after Bill Kinneberg retired after this past season following an 18-year tenure as head coach of the Utes.

“I have known Bill Kinneberg for 35 years and consider him a great friend, colleague and mentor,” Henderson said. “The ability to lead a program that he has invested so much in over the last two decades is an honor. Bill has always done things the right way and I am eager to continue to build on his legacy, one that includes the first Pac-12 Championship in program history.”