Hennessey Headlines Drillers 2023 Coaching Staff

The Tulsa Drillers are just under two months from the first pitch of the 2023 season at ONEOK Field. As preparations continue, one piece of the puzzle has been put into place as the Drillers, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced today that Scott Hennessey will return as manager of the Drillers for the upcoming season. Also announced was the coaching staff accompanying Hennessey for the 2023 campaign.

The staff will include three returnees as Ryan Dennick will return as a pitching coach, Jesse Guffey as the athletic trainer and Noah Huff as the performance coach.

Four new faces will complete the staff, including pitching coach Durin O’Linger, hitting coach Louis Iannotti, bench coach Juan Apodaca and video/development associate Mikael Mogues.

Hennessey will be in his sixth season with the Drillers, and he has posted winning records in each of his previous five and has guided the team to postseason berths in four. The five straight winning seasons matches the 2002-2006 era as the longest winning stretch in franchise history.

Since taking over 100 games into the 2017 season, Hennessey has compiled 327 career wins, the fifth-most for any manager in Tulsa professional baseball history. At ONEOK Field, he has a 60% winning percentage with a 174-116 career regular season home record.

Hennessey’s 327 total wins include 16 playoff victories, placing him second all-time among Tulsa managers. His postseason wins are only exceeded by Al Vincent who won 23 playoff games with Tulsa from 1948-1951.

Hennessey has also helped develop several prospects that have advanced to play in the majors. Players currently with the Dodgers who have played under Hennessey in Tulsa include Tony Gonsolin, Will Smith, Dustin May and Gavin Lux.

Other former players represented on different major league teams include Connor Joe (Pirates), Josiah Gray (Nationals), Keibert Ruiz (Nationals) and Mitchell White (Blue Jays).

For Dennick, he will return for his second season as the Drillers pitching coach and his sixth season in the Dodgers organization. As a player, the Ohio native pitched professionally for seven seasons and had a brief stint in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds. Dennick pitched for the Drillers in 2015, where he posted a 4-1 record with a 2.94 ERA as a reliever.

O’Linger will work alongside Dennick this season as another pitching coach. He will be in his third season in the Dodgers organization following a short playing career in the minors. O'Linger has previously served as the pitching coach for the Great Lakes Loons and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Iannotti will be in his first season as Tulsa’s hitting coach and in his sixth season overall with the Dodgers. He served one season as the development coach for the Great Lakes Loons in 2018 and four seasons as a hitting analytics coordinator at the Dodgers Camelback Ranch facility in Glendale, Arizona.

Apodaca joins the coaching staff as the bench coach, and it will mark his second season in the Dodgers organization. His coaching career began in 2022 when he served as the bench coach for the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Apodaca played professionally as a catcher for 16 seasons, including three within the Dodgers minor league system. He finished his playing career in 2021.

Guffey is back for his second season as the Drillers athletic trainer and sixth in the Dodgers organization. He was named Texas League Trainer of the Year last season. Before returning to Tulsa, Guffey will serve as the athletic trainer for the Great Britain squad in the World Baseball Classic that will be played this spring.

Huff will return for his third season as Tulsa’s performance coach. It will be his sixth season overall within the Dodgers system.

Mogues will complete Hennessey’s staff as the video/development associate. It will be his first season with the Drillers and his first year with the Dodgers.

The Drillers will open the 2023 regular season at ONEOK Field on Friday, April 6 by hosting the San Antonio Missions. First pitch for the opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Season ticket memberships are currently on sale at TulsaDrillers.com or by calling 918-744-5901.