Ole Miss all-time hits leader excited for broadcast opportunity
OXFORD | Brad Henderson is excited to report to the ballpark again.
Henderson, who is Ole Miss’ all-time hits leader with 298 during his four-year career with the Rebels from 1996-1999, will be the color commentator for Ole Miss baseball broadcasts this season alongside David Kellum, who begins his 42nd season as the voice of the Rebels.
Ole Miss opens 2020 with a three-game set against No. 1 Louisville Friday at 4 p.m.
Henderson takes the place of Keith Kessinger, who sat beside Kellum from 2011 to 2019 but steps away to watch his son, Chase Kessinger, play for Northeast Mississippi Community College. Chase Kessinger signed with Memphis this past fall.
“Keith and I are pretty good friends, and he told me he wanted to take a break to watch Chase pitch,” Henderson said. “I’m excited about the chance, really to be around the guys and the program. It feels really good to be back around the game a little bit.”
Henderson and Kellum did a mock run-through during a recent intrasquad but Friday will be the first time he’s been a live broadcaster. His goal is to follow Kellum’s lead and keep it simple.
“I’m not having to play or coach,” Henderson said. “I just say what I see. I’m still pretty raw at it, but I know the team and I’ve watched a lot in the fall and the spring, really to get to know this group of freshmen.”
Henderson, 43, played two seasons of professional baseball after the A’s selected him in the 24th round of the 1999 draft. Henderson, a career .371 college hitter, is still, in addition to the career hits leader, the school’s career leader in doubles (60), total bases (494) and runs scored (198). His .402 average in 1997 is seventh in school history.
Henderson moved back to Oxford recently after 17 years in Arkansas. He was on Kessinger’s staff at Arkansas State and then stayed in the Jonesboro area until returning for a job in the insurance industry.
“My wife and I have a fourth grader, and my job has flexibility, so this is a good time for me to do something like this,” Henderson said. “I can travel with the team and get to know them and get that extra bit to help people know them. I feel fresh and young again. On air I’m just following David’s lead. He puts it on a tee for you.”
Ole Miss, ranked 25th to start the season, won 41 games in 2019 before losing in game three of the Fayetteville Super Regional. The Rebels overturn a significant part of their roster but debut the No. 2 signing class nationally.
“The freshmen are really good and talented. It’ll all be how quickly they get used to everything,” Henderson said. “Back when I was new it took half a season to decide I wasn’t facing Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson. These guys have come a long way since the fall. Mike (Bianco) doesn’t rebuild. He reloads. That’s the beauty of his 19 years.”