Chapman’s Weathers Leaves for Long Beach : College baseball: He will become an assistant for 49ers. Panther assistant Henderson promoted to head coach.

Less than a month after Chapman’s first, bittersweet season in NCAA Division I baseball, the Panthers find themselves with a new leader.

Mike Weathers, the coach who orchestrated the program’s successful Division I upgrade this season, has resigned to become the top assistant to Dave Snow at Cal State Long Beach. Gary Henderson, who was a Chapman assistant the last two seasons, has been promoted to head coach.

Henderson, who was a San Diego State pitcher from 1982-84, was a head coach at San Diego Serra High for two seasons. He also has been an assistant at San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton and Riverside College. His main responsibility at Chapman had been the pitching staff.

The moves cap a tumultuous season for Weathers, whose team received a national ranking the week he learned the university was eliminating athletic scholarships and switching to Division III after next season. Weathers, who turned down the head coaching position at Loyola Marymount last year in order to help build Chapman into a strong Division I team, said the downgrade was a major factor in his decision.

“When that (Division I) was taken away, you start thinking about what’s best for your career, and I still have too many fires going. I’m not ready to retire,” said Weathers, 42. “If we could have stayed on that line, I don’t know if I ever would have left Chapman.”

The Panthers had remarkable success for a first-year Division I program before and after the university’s March 4 announcement. They defeated nationally ranked teams such as Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge and Fresno State and were ranked as high as No. 24 by Baseball America magazine. They rolled to a 20-7 record after an eight-game winning streak but lost their last eight to finish 29-24.

Weathers, who was an All-American at Chapman in 1970 and ‘71, leaves the Panthers after 11 seasons--nine as head coach. He finished with a 239-241 record. Before coming to Chapman, he coached Utah for two seasons, compiling a 40-39 record.

He and Snow were teammates at Cerritos College in 1969.

“I’m thrilled to have someone of his qualifications and experience as the No. 1 assistant,” Snow said. “He has very strong coaching and recruiting abilities and will be a very valuable addition to our program.”