Head baseball coach Todd Whitting signed a contract extension Friday that will keep him at the reigns of the once again nationally prominent Houston Cougars for another five years, according to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades.
The new contract is a five-year deal worth $1.25 million, which will place Whitting among the highest-paid coaches in the American Athletic Conference, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“Todd has been instrumental in the tremendous strides made by our baseball program,” said Rhoades in a press release, “and has built a culture of excellence, both on and off the field.”
After being selected as the best coach in Houston for 2014 by the Houston Press this past week as well, Whitting is sitting in a good place. In the past four years, Whitting has been able to put the Cougars back on the map after guiding the team two wins short of a trip to the College World Series this summer.
Whitting had his biggest season with the Cougars as, last year, he led the team to 48 wins, tying the school’s single season win record, and the team’s first NCAA postseason appearance since 2008.
Whitting has reached a record of 129-107-1 as the head coach of the Cougars in just the past four years, with definitive winning seasons both of his last two seasons.
The Cougars finished out last season ranked No. 11 in the nation under Whitting’s leadership, with their highest point throughout being No. 5.
“It has been a complete team effort over the past four seasons to rebuild our program into one of the elite college baseball teams in the nation,” said Whitting in a press release. “The vision of our department’s leadership, led by Mack (Rhoades), to build a solid foundation for all of our teams has been phenomenal.”
With an eye toward the future of Houston’s baseball program, Whitting has helped achieve multiple facility renovations for the Cougars in the past four years, in addition to recruiting some of the nation’s best young talent.
The incoming group of student-athletes (18) that Whitting is responsible for has been ranked on the list of Top 40 Recruiting classes by Collegiate Baseball.
“My staff and I,” Whitting said in a press release, “are excited about the future and look forward to continuing to work towards our goal of playing in Omaha for a National Championship.”
Great things are in store for the Cougars if Whitting can lead the team the way he has for the past four years. With five more years in Houston ahead of him, Whitting, and fans alike, are hoping for the best.
UH Baseball………our shining athletic program which happens to be one of the best in the nation. Way to go Coach W!