Scott Hennessey to Return as Drillers Manager

The start of the Tulsa Drillers 2022 season is still over two months away, but one thing has already been established. The Drillers and Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that manager Scott Hennessey will return for his fifth season in Tulsa.

Hennessey has served as Tulsa manager since taking over 100 games into the 2017 season, and he has never suffered a losing record.

In his four previous seasons in charge, he has totaled 258 career wins. The career victory total is the sixth-most for a manager in the 108-season history of professional baseball in Tulsa.

Hennessey’s win total includes 16 postseason victories which places him second among all Tulsa managers. His playoff wins are only exceeded by Al Vincent who won 23 postseason games with Tulsa from 1948-1951.

Under Hennessey, the Drillers have registered four straight winning seasons. A winning campaign in 2022 would match the five-season winning streak from 2002-2006, for the longest winning run in franchise history.

Hennessey has made winning at ONEOK Field a regular occurrence, compiling a 138-83 record for a 62.4% winning percentage.

“I am looking forward to being back with the Drillers this season,” said Hennessey. “Tulsa is a great city with a rich baseball history, and the fans are always so supportive. We should have a talented team again this season that will make for another exciting summer at ONEOK Field, and I cannot wait to get started.”

In his four seasons in Tulsa, he and his coaches have helped develop a number of prospects that have advanced to the majors with the Dodgers, with many playing roles in the 2020 World Series Championship. These players include Gavin Lux, Walker Buehler, Will Smith, Dustin May, Matt Beaty and Victor Gonzalez.

Hennessey is scheduled to travel to Arizona in early February to begin spring training workouts in preparation for the 2022 season. Even if the major league lockout continues, the minor leagues will play their seasons as scheduled.

For the Drillers, they will open the regular season with a three-game series in Wichita April 8-10. Tulsa will play its home opener at ONEOK Field on Tuesday, April 12 by hosting Amarillo.