Arizona baseball is expected to name Iowa’s Sean Kenny as its next pitching coach. D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers first reported the news.
Kenny will replace John DeRouin, who took a job in the New York Mets organization.
Kenny, 53, has nearly three decades of experience as a college pitching coach. He spent six seasons at Georgia (2018-23) before one-year stints at Houston and Iowa.
The Hawkeyes made massive jumps in multiple categories during Kenny’s one season in Iowa City, including going from 123rd nationally to 16th in ERA and from 134th to 25th in WHIP.
Georgia made three NCAA Tournament appearances during Kenny’s six seasons in Athens.
Kenny is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but has experience coaching on the West Coast. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at St. Mary’s in 1997, per his Iowa bio page. After a year at Laney Community College in Oakland, California, Kenny spent five seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of San Diego.
Iowa pitching coach Sean Kenny, right, walks back to the dugout after visiting the mound against Notre Dame, Feb. 21, 2025, in DeLand, Fla.
Kenny then spent six seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Pepperdine. His next two stops were Maryland and Michigan. He worked under current Clemson coach Erik Bakich at both schools.
Kenny attended Eastern Michigan and was selected in the 17th round of the 1993 MLB Draft by the Mets, who hired DeRouin as a pitching coordinator. Kenny spent three seasons in the minor leagues before transitioning to coaching.
DeRouin was elevated to pitching coach in June after Kevin Vance left Arizona to become the head coach at San Diego State. The move was popular among returning UA pitchers who had worked with DeRouin over the previous two seasons.
But, like many college coaches in recent years, DeRouin was lured away by MLB.
He posted a goodbye message on social media Wednesday:
“To Arizona Baseball ... Thank you for an incredible two-plus years. From conference championships, to a trip to Omaha, to seeing our players’ dreams become reality, I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a special place.”
