GREENVILLE – The Greenville City School Board unanimously approved the hiring of Chad Henry for the vacant head varsity boys baseball coaching position.
Henry, a 1996 graduate of Greenville Senior High School, where he played baseball and basketball, brings a wealth of success and experience to the position, having coached and managed at many levels of baseball.
“It’s an honor to take over the program I played for and graduated from,” said Henry. “I’m going to refocus on building a culture of discipline, teamwork, and passion. I want my players to grow, compete, and chase their dreams on or off the field. As coaches, that’s what you do. You fully prepare them in practice, you instill in them the confidence to perform under pressure, and then you trust in them when that situation arises.”
Henry started playing Little League baseball at the age of seven and continued through high school, eventually ending his playing career at Edison State Community College in the fall of 1969. He began umpiring in 1997 and continued until 2004 when he accepted his first coaching position at Greenville Senior High School. After seven years, he stepped away to watch his son enter Little League, volunteering with his teams until 2017, before accepting his current position with the Greenville American Legion Post 140 baseball program.
Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Sinclair Community College.
Henry served as Greenville’s freshman head baseball coach from 2004 to 2006, compiling a 27-12 record. From 2006 to 2011, Henry served as the GHS varsity assistant baseball coach, assisting with daily operations and focusing on player development within the program. Over five seasons, the teams compiled a 76-48 record, tying the school record for wins twice (18), and won the District Championship in 2011, advancing to the Regional Final.
“Greenville should be a school with the kids that we have, the families we have, with the infrastructure we have around the baseball program, there’s a lot of opportunity there to create a culture, the same as Coach Newland has done with the softball program,” Henry stated. “I am looking forward to getting started, getting these kids out there and playing baseball the way we all want to see it played.”
From September 2017, Henry has managed baseball operations for multiple groups (Sr/Jr Legion, 14U, 11U, 9U). Over seven seasons leading the 19U team, he has compiled a 147-102 record, highlighted by a Regional Greenville American Legion Post 140 Championship in 2024, advancing to the state semifinals, and competing in the District 3 title game in three of five other seasons.
“You have to create that program and that culture that kids want to stay and play in,” Coach Henry said when questioned about keeping Greenville kids at Greenville. “Kids are the same as we were when we were younger. They want to be coached, they want to be disciplined, they want to be respected. As coaches, it’s our job to meet them on their terms and still instill those same kinds of things that we grew up with. As far as keeping kids around, when the kids take ownership in the program, come out there every day and play for you, they have that same amount of respect, and they want to see things turn around.”
Coach Henry took time to thank the many who made his hiring a reality.
“I thank the school board and Mr. Fries for offering the position to me – Coach Fries was my coach in high school,” Henry said. “Thanks to Aaron Shaffer and Stan Hughes for the interview process. We had a great discussion about the future of the program, and everybody who supported me.”
