Kentucky State University head baseball coach Rob Henry became the Thorobreds winningest coach in school history this past Wednesday, February 27th, as KSU swept Alice Lloyd, 11-5 and 20-10, in a non-conference doubleheader. The victory gave Henry his 107th career victory, all of which have come at Kentucky State since he became the program’s head coach in 2013.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Henry’s record is that it took him 7 seasons to break the record.
Coach Henry’s career accomplishments in Frankfort, KY., include the Thorobreds going 20-34 in 2017 earning a third place finish in the SIAC tournament which was the first 20 win season under Herny’s helm as head coach.
This past season, the Kentucky State Thorobreds finished 23-23 overall, the program’s third 20-plus wins in program history and the first time since 1989.
Kentucky State was one game away from winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship having won four games in the SIAC tournament, losing in the conference championship for a trip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
Since his tenure at KSU, student-athletes have been honored for their performances in the classroom and have received several All-Academic team honors for having the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) in the SIAC including the 2013 season, Henry’s first year as the head coach.
The Lexington, KY native spoke to Black College Nines regarding his coaching feat. “It’s a little surreal and humbling to think about the number of quality young men who have believed in our vision here for the direction of the Kentucky State University baseball program. We’ve had a great and diverse combination of student-athletes from Atlanta, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit and other metropolitan areas along with players from all over Kentucky.
107 wins is not a huge total when you compare it to the numbers that many coaches far better than me, have earned, but in the context of how far we’ve come since I started seven years ago, it’s a testament to the efforts of our players in building this program.
I have also been fortunate to have the support of our administration in making this program and department stronger. President Brown and AD Thomas given us more resources than ever to be successful, and we appreciate what it’s meant for our student-athletes. Hopefully this is the start of even more success down the road.”
After Kentucky State’s first ten games this season, their won/loss record currently stands at 8-1 and they start a four-game series this weekend March 2-3 with a doubleheader Saturday against Salem University.