STARKVILLE — Heading into last offseason, Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen faced some grumbling among the fan base and questions about his job security.

He won’t hear about it this offseason.

Mississippi State announced on Friday that it has given Cohen a four-year contract extension through 2020, as well as the title of associate athletic director.

“In addition to being a successful baseball coach, John has been a valued resource for our entire department in my six years as athletic director,” Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a school release. “During our conversations he has indicated an interest in working in administration once he has finished coaching — which I expect will be a long time from now.”

Cohen has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in five of the past six seasons. His 2013 team reached the College World Series championship series.

MSU slumped badly in 2015, finishing 24-30 and missing the Southeastern Conference Tournament, but rebounded in 2016 to go 44-18-1 and advance to the NCAA Tournament’s super regional round.

Mississippi State was ranked No. 1 in the country in several polls during this past season. It won the regular-season SEC championship for the first time since 1989 and earned the program’s first national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

A former Mississippi State player, Cohen has a 605-399-1 career record in 17 seasons at MSU, Kentucky and Northwestern State. He’s been Mississippi State’s head coach since 2009 and was the SEC’s Coach of the Year with Kentucky in 2006 and MSU in 2016.

He’s one of only two coaches in SEC history to win the conference’s Coach of the Year award at two different schools.

“I am grateful for every opportunity here at Mississippi State,” Cohen said in a statement. “It’s been a tremendous journey so far, and I am excited about our future as we strive for more championships.”