Former UT Arlington head coach, Oklahoma assistant joins Cougars coaching staff

Clay Van Hook Joins Houston Baseball Coaching Staff for 2025 Season

• New Role: Clay Van Hook joins the Houston Baseball coaching staff for the 2025 season after a successful tenure as head coach at UT Arlington.
• Family Legacy: He follows his father, Kyle Van Hook, who was an assistant coach for the Cougars from 1984-85. This makes them the second father-son duo to coach at Houston Baseball.
• Head Coach’s Praise: Head coach Todd Whitting stated, “Coach Van Hook is one of the elite recruiters and coaches in Texas” and expressed excitement about his addition.
• Recent Success: In his two seasons at UT Arlington, Van Hook led the team through a challenging non-conference schedule and achieved significant milestones:
  • The Mavericks hit 56 home runs in 2022, the 3rd most in program history.
  • He guided UTA to the semifinals of the 2023 WAC Championship and achieved a historic win over a top 10 opponent.
• Coaching Background: Prior to UTA, Van Hook spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma, contributing to a College World Series Final appearance in June 2022. His responsibilities included:
  • Hitting coach, offensive game planning, and infield training.
  • Recruiting coordinator since 2021, leading to the 13th-ranked class in 2022.
• Achievements at Oklahoma: The Sooners ranked highly in:
  • Base-on-balls (3rd nationally, 374).
  • Stolen bases (4th, 145).
  • Runs scored (11th, 518).
  • Hits (14th, 675).
• Experience at Rice: Van Hook also served as an assistant at Rice from 2012-2017, where he helped the Owls reach the NCAA Tournament all six years and win the 2013 Oregon Regional.
• Past Coaching Roles: He has experience at McNeese State and began his coaching career as a student assistant at Texas.
• Playing Career: Van Hook played one season at Navarro College and was a three-year letterman at Texas, winning the 2005 College World Series and being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2007.
• Personal Life: Van Hook resides in Houston with his wife, Selina, and their children, Avery and Briscoe.