Gary Henderson Is Taking The Mississippi State Baseball Team To Omaha
By Ethan Lee
For the first time in his career, Gary Henderson gets to take on the College World Series. He’ll do so with the Mississippi State baseball team
Gary Henderson has guided MSU farther than anyone could have ever expected. He’s done more than just save this Mississippi State baseball season. Henderson has done more than salvage it and turn it into something bearable. Gary Henderson has done what only a handful of Mississippi State baseball coaches have done.
The Bulldogs are in Omaha.
Henderson is a huge reason why.
Andy Cannizaro’s departure from Starkville put a damper on everything after Southern Miss swept the Bulldogs to start the year. From there, MSU had to toil through emotions and hard losses to start the year. However, the Mississippi State baseball team has responded to all of that.
That response almost certainly would not have been possible had Henderson not been present on MSU’s campus.
The Bulldogs went on a tear in the second half of the season, surging up the Southeastern Conference standings. Mississippi State quickly from the bottom of the barrel to grabbing eight games in three SEC series against Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Florida, three of the best teams in the conference.
Now, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are looking to keep on winning. State is in Omaha and Gary Henderson has helped make this possible. This is the 10th time that a Mississippi State team has been present for a College World Series.
There’s a short list of coaches that have gotten the Bulldogs here.
Paul Gregory did it first in 1971. Eight years later, Ron Polk was in charge of MSU’s return to the College World Series scene. He did it four more times heading up and into 1997, when he left Starkville.
Next: MSU Defies Expectations And Makes It To College World Series
Pat McMahon got MSU back there in 1998 and then, in Polk’s return, State made it back in 2007. John Cohen got MSU to the championship series in 2013. Now, in the 2018 college baseball season, Gary Henderson has brought MSU back to Omaha.