After 16 seasons, the Houston Cougars have parted ways with their head baseball coach, Todd Whitting. Houston will be on the hunt for a new coach for the first time since 2010.
According to the University of Houston Vice President for Athletics, Eddie Nuñez, the Cougars are choosing not to offer Whitting a new contract after this season. In 2026, Houston finished the regular season 24-31 overall. They had a rough time in Big 12 Conference play, finishing 7-23. Houston is last in the Big 12 Conference this season and did not make the Big 12 Tournament in Surprise, Ariz.
Nuñez commented on the decision in a press release from Houston Athletics.
“After careful evaluation, we have decided to make a change in the leadership of our baseball program,” Nuñez said. “We cannot thank Coach Whitting and his family enough for their efforts and wish him and his family well in their next endeavors.”
Whitting and his career with Houston
Whitting’s first season with the Houston Cougars was 2011. From then through this season, he compiled 498 wins and had a .558 winning percentage with the team in his 16-year stint.
Whitting led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament four times. The Cougars made it to a super regional during one of those NCAA Tournament trips in 2014. Whitting also won a handful of conference titles with Houston. They won the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament title in 2014 and 2017. Houston also won the AAC regular season title in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
The 2018 season was Whitting’s best with the Cougars. He was the AAC Coach of the Year after he led Houston to a 38-25 overall record and a 16-8 AAC record.
The 16-year stint in Houston was Whitting’s first collegiate head coaching job. From 1996 to 2010, he spent time as an assistant with the Cougars and with the TCU Horned Frogs.
He was a part of Jim Schlossnagle’s coaching staff that led the Horned Frogs to their first-ever College World Series trip in 2010.
Whitting also played for Houston from 1991 to 1995, with a brief time playing at Navarro College in between.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Houston head coach Todd Whitting, center, argues with umpires if a hit by Stephen F. Austin down the first base line was foul during an NCAA baseball game on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
