by Malcolm Butler
Just call them Conference USA champions.
By virtue of their doubleheader sweep over Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia, today, Louisiana Tech has secured no worse than a share of the 2024 Conference USA regular season baseball title.
It’s the first regular season conference title for the Bulldogs (41-15, 18-6) in over 30 years. Tech captured the Sun Belt title in its first year as a member of the league in 1992. The Bulldogs did win the 2021 West Division title.
Tech won game one today 12-8 in 11 innings before completing the three-game road sweep with a 10-1 win in the nightcap of the twin bill.
Lane Burroughs and the Bulldogs also secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CUSA Championships which will be hosted at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park starting next Wednesday.
“We do it the hard way,” said head coach Lane Burroughs. “I couldn’t be more proud. The first game was nuts. We knew coming into Western Kentucky last week that we had to win six in a row. We knew DBU would take care of business these last two weeks and they did. But we did it. We did it. It will be three championships in four years. That’s not too shabby.”
The Bulldogs could still share the regular season title with Dallas Baptist if the Patriots can defeat Middle Tennessee tomorrow in Murfreesboro. However, Tech owns the tiebreaker over DBU by virtue of its series win in Dallas earlier this year.
In game one of the day, Tech built an 8-2 lead in the eighth inning before Liberty scored four in the bottom of the eighth and two more in the bottom of the ninth to tie it. The Flames had an opportunity to win it in the bottom of the ninth but Ethan Bates induced a ground out to end the frame.
Tech scored our runs in the top of the 11th on a two-run double by Adarius Myers to deep centerfield and a two-run single by Kasten Furr to right centerfield.
“Our guys never gave in,” said Burroughs. “I am so proud to be the baseball coach at Louisiana Tech. I couldn’t be more proud of a group of young men. What a season. We came out smoking winning our first 12 and then hit a valley. But we got back on the mountain top and we are champions. People like to say Tech going to Tech, well Tech just Tech’d. We are champions.”
Myers had four hits and two RBI while Furr added three hits and three RBI and Jorge Corona had three hits and four RBI. Corona recorded a pair of two-run home runs, including an inside-the-park home run.
Luke Nichols was strong on the mound, striking out nine batters while allowing just two runs on five hits and three walks.
In the title clinching win in the nightcap, the Bulldogs scored three in the first to take an early lead and continued to add on as Liberty scored on a solo home run in the second inning for their only run of the contest.
Grant Hubka pitched a stellar 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven batters to pick up the win. Turner Swistak tossed the final 4.0 scoreless innings in relief to pick up the save.
Corona continued his late-season tear with four hits and two RBI while Michael Ballard had two hits and three RBI.
Conference USA will release the bracket for the tournament on Saturday evening.
Tech will be playing to win its second CUSA Tournament title in the last three years after capturing the title in Hattiesburg in 2022.
