OSU baseball staff adds Gary Henderson as pitching coach
August 21, 1998
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Gary Henderson, named Assistant Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball newspaper in 1996, has been named pitching coach at Oregon State, OSU head coach Pat Casey announced Friday. Henderson was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida for the past four seasons,
"We were able to get a guy coming from a tremendous program," Casey said. "He has head coaching experience, and hes been at Pepperdine and Florida - were getting a guy who is highly qualified for the job and has also got outstanding experience."
The hiring means a move home for Henderson, 37, who graduated from Sheldon High in Eugene and attended Linfield College before transferring to San Diego State.
"I wanted to get back in this part of the country," Henderson said. "Its great to be back in the Northwest and to be part of Oregon States program. I'm looking forward to continuing to build upon the success that Pat has established."
Henderson takes the place of Ron Northcutt on the OSU staff. Northcutt, who had been at OSU on a part-time basis for four seasons. Northcutt resigned this summer when the new full-time duties of the position were incompatible with his current full-time job.
Northcutt had coached OSU pitchers to six All-Northern Division selections and three of those pitchers earned various All-America honors; seven of his Beaver pitchers were taken in the Major League Baseball draft and three went in the top 10 rounds.
With the Beavers losing someone of Northcutts capabilities, Casey was happy to see the caliber of applicant OSU was able to attract.
"Its a good thing for our program to be able to attract someone like Gary Henderson," Casey said. "I hope some of the things weve done have created that."
Over the past three years, OSU has gone 104-42-1. The Beavers broke into the national polls for the first time in four years in 1998, being ranked as high as 19th. Despite an unusually wet spring in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon State was among the nations top 50 schools in per-game attendance in NCAA Division I. Next spring, the Beavers longtime home field will see a dramatic improvement with the opening of Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.
With the field for the NCAA championships expanding to 64 teams next season, the Beavers will again be looking for their first postseason berth since 1986.
"I feel as though that change will benefit the Northwest teams," Henderson said. "I'm looking forward to being a part of it."
Henderson was an assistant on Florida's teams that reached the College World Series in 1996 and 1998, placing third and seventh. The Gators won the Southeastern Conference title in 1996 and tied for the title in 1998.
Henderson was named Assistant Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball magazine in 1996. Collegiate Baseball also gave national rankings to four of Henderson's recruiting classes at Florida, including a school-best No. 4 ranking in 1996. In the November, 1997 signing period, Florida inked six of the nations top 50 prospects as rated by Baseball America magazine.
Prior to coaching at Florida, Henderson had been an assistant coach at Pepperdine. He has also worked as head coach at Chapman; as an assistant coach at Chapman, Cal State-Fullerton and Riverside Community College; and as junior varsity head coach at San Diego State.
Henderson pitched three years for San Diego State, compiling a 19-5 record. He earned a bachelors degree in English and a masters degree in Sports Psychology at SDSU.
Henderson is married to the former Vicki DeAngelis; they have a son, Alex (age 12).
