Bio

Kent Willis is entering his fourth year as the pitching coach of the Gary SouthShore RailCats. This past year, his pitching staff penciled in the best ERA in the month of July (3.07).  

Willis hails from Mississippi and in 2024 he was named to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletics Hall of Fame. He was drafted out of Southern Miss in 1986 by the Cincinnati Reds, he pitched for the Reds and Montreal Expos organizations.  

In 1996, Willis returned to professional baseball, this time as a pitching coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. He served as the pitching coach in rookie ball all the way up to Double-A, in 2007 he became the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for Atlanta.  

Willis brought his coaching experience to Gary in 2023. Since taking over several RailCats pitchers have won a pitcher of the week while three were named to the All-Star Game.