MUS baseball hires former Owls pitcher Blake Bennett as head coach

Memphis University School announced Monday that it was bringing back one of its own — 2014 graduate Blake Bennett — to lead the school's baseball program.

Bennett's playing career included time at both the college and pro level, most recently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 2019. Before that, he spent a year each at the University of Mississippi and Itawamba Community College before playing his final two seasons at Memphis.

The former MUS quarterback and pitcher now returns to the place where he was runner-up for the state title three times, hoping to bring the school its first championship.

"I have a lot of second-place trophies on the shelf at home between football and baseball," Bennett said. "The more I got into coaching, the more I thought it'd be great to finally get over the hump with the baseball program here.

"A lot of great players come through here and (I want) to bring that first championship back to us," Bennett added.

Bennett has held several coaching positions in recent years, although he said he hopes to stay at his alma mater for a long time. He most recently was the head coach at nearby First Assembly Christian this past season, leading the Crusaders to a .500 record.

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The new coach served in assistant roles at Rhodes College and previously with MUS's baseball and football teams before his first season as a high school head coach in 2024.

Bennett's connection to MUS runs deeper than just being a graduate of the school. His late father, David L. Bennett Jr., was a standout pitcher for the Owls. The 2013 team dedicated a plaque to the elder Bennett at the field where his son will now coach.

"MUS has made a very large impact on my life," Bennett said. "I always thought to myself that once I got into coaching, I'd love to come back here. Luckily, Coach (Thad) McCracken gave me the opportunity."

McCracken, MUS athletic director, said Bennett's experience as well as his connection to the school made him a great candidate for the job.

"We had a great candidate pool but in Blake, we found a guy that is passionate about baseball, passionate about teaching and the icing on the cake, he's passionate about MUS," McCracken said.

Bennett replaces John Jarnagin, who had been the Owls' coach since 2014. McCracken said Jarnagin is coaching at another school.

"I want a renewed excitement on this campus and in the community," McCracken said. "(Bennett) will instill a sense of pride in wearing the MUS jersey and representing this school."

Bennett wants MUS to play a clean but aggressive style of baseball that, of course, centers on the family trade of pitching.

"We're gonna throw strikes. We're gonna control the running game and we're going to be aggressive on the bases," Bennett said. "My two big things are: play hard and act right. We do that, we'll be OK."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: MUS baseball hires former Owls pitcher Blake Bennett as head coach