STARKVILLE — After winning the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen received an extension.
MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin announced Friday that Cohen signed a four-year contract extension through 2020. Also, Cohen has added the title of associate athletic director.
“It’s been a tremendous journey so far, and I am excited about our future as we strive for more championships,” Cohen said in a statement released by the school.
In eight seasons, Cohen is 284-203-1 at his alma mater. The Bulldogs finished 44-18-1 and 21-9 to win the SEC for the first time since 1989. The finish helped Cohen earn 2016 SEC Coach of the Year honors. MSU played host to a regional but lost to Arizona in the Starkville Super Regional.
Cohen has led MSU to NCAA postseason appearances in five of the last six seasons, including a national runner-up finish in 2013, when MSU finished 51-20 and played host to a regional before winning the Charlottesville (Va.) Super Regional to make its ninth appearance at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The Bulldogs have missed postseason play three times under Cohen.
Cohen becomes the first MSU baseball coach to earn an administrative title since Ron Polk was named assistant athletic director in 1994. Polk, the winningest coach in MSU history with 1,139 wins, resigned after the 2008 season (29 seasons at MSU) and Cohen was hired to replace him.
“In addition to being a successful baseball coach, John has been a valued resource for our entire department in my six years as athletic director,” Stricklin said in a statement released by the school. “During our conversations, he has indicated an interest in working in administration once he has finished coaching, which I expect will be a long time from now. John’s focus will remain on coaching Bulldog baseball, but because of his passion for Mississippi State, he will also be an invaluable asset to the administrative team on issues that directly impact our student-athletes and coaches.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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