CARROLLTON, Ga. – Head baseball coach Jeff Smith announced the addition of Brandon Hennessey as pitching coach ahead of the 2027 season.
"I am extremely appreciative and grateful to Head Coach Jeff Smith for giving me this opportunity to be at West Georgia," Hennessey said. "I'm extremely excited to get started and to help this program continue its growth in Division I."
Hennessey joins West Georgia after nine seasons at Emmanuel University, where he served as the associate head coach and pitching coach. He inherited a pitching squad that ranked near the bottom of Conference Carolinas in most statistical categories and built it into one of the most competitive in the country. From 2020 to 2025, his staff finished in the top 40 nationally in either ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, walks allowed, or home runs allowed.
Before Emmanuel, Hennessey was interim head coach at NCAA Division II Young Harris College, where he previously served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. Under his leadership at YHC, the Mountain Lions won more games than in any season since 2014, and as pitching coach, he lowered the teams' ERA by two full runs.
At the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Hennessey spent two years as pitching coach from 2013-2014 and lowered the inherited staff's ERA from 4.25 to 3.84 in the 2014 season, the lowest at the school since 1992. That season, he mentored Sam Street, the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, who tied for first in the NCAA Division I in wins (12) and complete games (11), ranked 25th nationally in ERA (1.81) and was later drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Early coaching stops at Gavilan College in 2009, helping lower their teams' ERA by over three runs. A stop with the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League in 2009, Hennessey led them to lead the ABL with a 2.40 team ERA. He spent four years at Cabrillo College from 2009-2012 and helped guide them to the largest single-season turnaround going from 6-30 to 23-13 as well as the programs' first regional appearance in 10 years.
Hennessey has helped develop multiple pitchers who went on to play professionally, including four who reached the Major Leagues. A four-year letterman as a pitcher at San Jose State (2004-08), he is also a graduate of the SJSU program. Coach Hennessey is married to his wife Suzanne, they have a daughter Savannah, and son Brody.
Major Leaguer's Developed Under Hennessey
Shane Carle (Atlanta Braves) Reached MLB
Kyle Barraclough (Miami Marlins) Reached MLB
Chad Smith (Detroit Tigers) Reached MLB
Scott Snodgress (Chicago White Sox) Reached MLB
Kevin Rath (Chicago White Sox)
Cody Kendall (Texas Rangers)
Josh Corrales (Seattle Mariners)
Sam Street (Pittsburg Pirates)
Alex Hensen (Los Angeles Angels)
Matt Daniels (Colorado Rockies "Director of Pitching")
