Darin Hendrickson was named head coach in July 2007 after delivering success at every level of his 12-year career. Hendrickson led Central Missouri to three conference regular-season and tournament championships over the last four years and twice had his team in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. The Granite City, Ill., native has now returned to the St. Louis area where he got his coaching start at Fontbonne in 1996. Coaching at the NCAA Division II and III levels in addition to four seasons at St. Louis Community College Forest Park, Hendrickson has amassed a 490-174 (.738) record, seven regional Coach of the Year titles and five conference Coach of the Year honors. His teams have missed the national tournament just three times in 12 years and have collected the conference regular-season and/or tournament championship five times. In addition, he has coached 19 players who have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hendrickson took the helm at Central Missouri in the summer of 2003 and made an impact right out of the gate. In 2004, the Mules posted a school-record 57 wins, won a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship semifinals. Hendrickson's club duplicated its effort in 2005, with a 57-9 record, its sixth regional championship and a return trip to the NCAA semifinals. In 2006, Hendrickson earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors for his club's 51-13 record and the conference regular-season title. During his four seasons at the reins, the Mules posted a 209-46 record (.820). Prior to taking over at UCM, Hendrickson guided St. Louis Community College Forest Park to four NJCAA Super Regional championship games. His 2001 club advanced to the NJCAA World Series and finished the year with a 41-22 slate, earning Hendrickson Midwest Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) and District Coach of the Year honors. A 45-10 record in 2003, including a 14-4 league mark, was good enough to put the Highlanders in the No. 1 ranking in NJCAA D-II the final five weeks of the season. In four seasons at Forest Park, Hendrickson compiled a 155-74 record (.677). In addition to his coaching duties at Forest Park, he served as the athletics director. Hendrickson got his first head coaching experience at Fontbonne University, starting that baseball program in 1995. In just the program's third season, the 1998 Griffins went 41-7, won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) title with a 16-1 league record and advanced to the NCAA Division III Central Regional. Hendrickson was named SLIAC and Region Coach of the Year. He left Fontbonne with a 126-54 record (.700) over four seasons. Hendrickson served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, following his graduation in 1992. As a player, he earned first-team All-Region status both seasons on the mound for the Cougars and ranks second in school history with 10 wins and 111-1/3 innings pitched in 1991. With a career 18-5 record, he is fourth in school history in career winning percentage (.783) and 12th in career victories. Hendrickson earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from SIUE. His master's in sociology was conferred in 1995, following his bachelor's in political science in 1992. He and his wife, Laura, have three children, Reid, Paige and Andrew. |
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